The Broken Promise
by Venus.Holt
Summary: What will happen when Regina is hurt, and Emma feels it is her fault? Will she go fight for the Evil Queen or will she drive herself insane. Will Emma Swan be able to protect her love and her son? (SwanQueen) Warning:There is rape mentioned in this story so please be warned. The rating is M due to language and violence.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Emma pulled up at the curb of the Rabbit Hole and killed the engine. Ruby had begged her to come have a drink. David would be taking the morning shift at the station the following day. The blonde would rather be at home taking a long hot bath. She needed to release tension she had in her neck from the hours of paperwork. Regina was very adamant that all paperwork be completed every Friday. She wanted it dropped off by her office before closing.

"Crap", Emma said out loud as she looked over at the manila folder that lay in the passenger seat.

The ringtone on her phone went off making her jump. Pulling it out of her coat pocket, she swiped her finger across the screen to answer, "Yeah."

"Where the hell are you?" Ruby's voice shouted through the receiver so to be heard over the loud music in the background.

"I'll be there in a few minutes, I have to swing by the Mayor's office first to drop off the reports", Emma said.

The noise coming through the phone made Emma's head throb, "Hurry up, and don't do anything I wouldn't."

Before Emma could ask Ruby what she meant by that, the receiver clicked, indicating she had hung up. Shaking her head, Emma pinched the bridge of her nose, there was a headache coming on. She pushed in the clutch as she started the car. Shifting the car into first gear she pulled back out onto the street.

Her cell phone rang again, and she answered, "Yes", knowing it was Ruby.

"Are you here yet", was the response.

"Ruby, it has only been like two minutes, and no I am on my way to the Mayor's office. I'll see you in a bit", Emma said before hanging up the phone.

The blonde pulled up across the street from the mayor's office and killed the engine. She could not see the light in the window, but Regina's car was parked outside to let her know she was still there. "Great", she said to herself. She knew, as soon as she walked into that office, the Mayor would start in on her. Pointing out the hour, and saying that she had other things to do than sitting around waiting on Sheriff Swan. She would say something insulting in regards to her competence. Normally Emma kept her mouth shut, but today had been a long day. She made no promises once she walked through those doors.

She climbed out of the yellow bug, took a deep breath, and then shut the door. After all this time, Emma still couldn't understand why the Mayor acted like such a bitch to her. She thought they would at least be better friends by now. It seemed the harder Emma tried, the more Regina pulled away. The blonde didn't know why she continued to put up with the Evil Queen, or the way she treated her. Maybe it was for Henry's sake, she thought to herself. Deep down though, she knew that wasn't entirely true.

The sheriff did realize that some things have changed between the two women. Not as much as Emma would have hoped. Ever since the blonde and Henry had gotten back from New York, there were moments when it seemed the mayor was trying to be her friend. Of course, something would happen and out would come the bitch again. Maybe Regina was still upset with her about the whole Marian thing. Honestly, the blonde didn't know what the Queen saw in the thief. If that was what made the mayor happy; then she would do everything she could to get her the happy ending she wanted.

Looking first left, then right, Emma crossed the street. Ruby's comment replayed in her brain. _What had Ruby meant by that_? Sure, Emma thought the Mayor was a beautiful woman. She had many good or attractive qualities. There was no way she could even consider something like that with her. Hell, if they couldn't be friends, how in the hell could they be more. Not to mention, that Regina was in love with Robin.

As Emma reached the door handle, she noticed it was ajar. She slowly pushed it open and peered inside. Nothing in the entryway looked out of place, so she continued in. For a moment she thought maybe the Mayor had been gathering her stuff to leave for the night. Like always, she was waiting on the sheriff.

Emma took a step forward and her cell phone went off again. Her heart almost flew out of her throat. Annoyed, she swiped to answer the phone without looking, "Damn it, Ruby."

"Miss Swan", came a weak voice from the other end.

"Regina", Emma said, realizing it was the mayor. The hair on the back of her neck stood on end, and she knew something was wrong. She waited for a response, but all she could hear was breathing, "Where are you, Regina?"

Emma could hear her drop the phone. Something fall against the marble floor from behind the Mayor's office door. Emma shoved the phone into her pocket. She sprinted the last ten feet to the door. She turned the knob to the glass-paned door, but it was locked. Without a second thought, she hit her leather cover elbow into the glass causing it to shatter. She reached in to turn the lock on the knob, before swinging the door open.

She scanned the room, first looking to her left, and noticing the couch over turned. Papers covered the floors. To the right, a few chairs from the conference table we over turned, but then she looked straight ahead. The contents from the desk were all over the floor. The telephone cord of the office phone stretched out from behind the desk. Panic was rising in Emma chest. She took a step closer, and noticed what seemed like blood.

"Regina", she called out scanning the room again. There was movement from the other side of the desk.

Drawing her gun, Emma slowed, walking towards the sound. As she rounded the back of the marble desk, she could see legs. Soon the whole body came into view and she gasped at the scene. Regina was lying on the floor, face down. Her lower body was bare, and her silk shirt ripped, and appeared to be hanging on by a thread.

Emma holstered her gun before falling to her knees next to the Mayor. Grabbing her shoulders, Emma rolled her onto her back, "Regina?"

A small moan or grunt, Emma wasn't sure which one, came from the Mayor's throat. Emma pulled her jacket off and placed it over Regina's naked lower half.

Blood was running from the Mayor's temple. Her lip appeared split, and her eye was swelling up, as if she had been punched repeatedly in the same spot. She ran her fingers softly down the side of Regina's face, "Regina, open your eyes".

She knew the Mayor was alive, she could see her chest rise and fall , "Regina, please open your eyes."

The Mayor's eyes fluttered, but they did not fully open. She groaned in pain, and her eyebrows came together, but then relaxed again.

"It's going to be okay, I'm going to take care of you." Emma said as she fumbled the cell phone out of the jacket she had cover Regina with. Her fingers did not seem to want to work. She hit the wrong number for 911 a couple of times. "Shit, come on Emma, you got this, its three damned numbers", she said to herself.

On the third try, she was able to dial the correct number and gain control of the situation. "This is sheriff Swan. I need an ambulance at the Town Hall immediately. I have a female with head trauma, and possible rape".

Emma didn't wait for the operator to respond, nor did she want to tell her that the victim was the Mayor. The last thing she needed was the newspapers or any other nosy ass resident getting wind of this right now. She felt helpless, and angry at the situation. _Who the hell did this_? She didn't care why. Nothing would condone this kind of thing. It was her job to protect the people of this town, and Regina. She had made that promise, more to herself than actually out loud. She felt she was looking a broken promise in the face.

She put her arm around the Mayor's shoulders and lifted her upper body so that she was cradled to Emma's chest.

The blonde's eyes started to water. "I am so sorry Regina", she said leaning down and kissing the top of the Mayor's blood soaked head. 

SQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQ 

Emma called David and told him to meet her at the hospital, and that the mayor had been attacked. He arrived in less than twenty minutes, with a very worried snow in tow.

"Emma, what happened, where is she?" Snow asked.

Emma eyed David, with a 'are you kidding me' look. Of course, David threw his hands up and shrugged his shoulders, " , we don't know anything yet. The doctor is with her right now."

Snow went to pass Emma, but was grabbed by the arm. She turned to meet her daughters face, "Mom, you don't want to see her right now. It was pretty bad", Emma said.

"How bad can it be? I want to see her, believe it or not I care about her Emma", the short haired brunette said with tears in her eyes.

The sheriff let out a sign. "I know you do, but Regina needs her privacy on this one, and she would not be happy to know that you saw her in this state."

Mary Margret searched Emma's eyes for a long moment. A tear escaped and rolled down her round cheek, "Tell me what happened."

The sheriff had not told David much of anything either. Henry had been asleep when they got the call and Granny come to sit with him and baby Neal while they were gone. David had figured he could go pick the teenager up, once they knew how Regina was. He watched the sheriff waiting for her to elaborate on the situation.

Letting out a sigh again, Emma pinched the bridge of her nose, "I don't know. When I got there, she wasn't responsive."

"Start from the beginning, how did you know she was hurt", David asked.

Emma started to pace back and forth as she explained. "I had to run the reports by Town hall for Regina, like I do every Friday evening after work. I was running late, and when I got to her office, she called me, and said my name, but that was all, and I knew something was wrong. I broke through her office door and found her half naked and bloodied on the floor. It must have been one hell of a scuffle, because her office was a disaster."

More tears filled the short-haired brunette's eyes. David stepped close to her and pulled her into his arms. Emma looked everywhere, but at the couple. She was afraid that if she saw her mother get upset about the situation, then she wouldn't be able to hold back her own.

Just then, the double doors behind Emma flew open with a bang, causing all three of them to jump. The sheriff spun on her heels to see the doctor who was now inches from her as he whispered in her ear. "She is awake, and is asking for you, only you".

The last part of his sentence made her a little nervous. She nodded her head at him and looked at her parents, "I'll be back."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Emma slowed her pace as she neared the room. She knew Regina would not want her pity or sympathy. She couldn't get the feeling to go away and knew her face would give her away. The Mayor would be mad at her for being late, or breaking the glass to her office door. The blonde's brain was racing ninety to nothing as she came to the open door.

The sheriff looked at the once ferocious, assertive woman, and her heart sank. Regina was in an upright position on the bed, but her eyes stared down at the red leather jacket that was now in her lap. There was an almost empty look in them, and Emma knew that look all too well.

Clearing her throat, Emma knocked on the door frame. The Mayor's head snapped up, and the blonde got a good look her swollen eye. It looked as though Regina had gone a couple of rounds in the boxing ring with a world champion.

Emma must have expressed how bad it looked because Regina looked down. It was almost like she was ashamed. The sheriff cursed herself inwardly for not hiding her expressions better.

"The doctor said you wanted to see me", she said.

Regina didn't meet her eyes as she responded. "They said I would need a r-rape kit, and said a female officer could be in attendance."

Emma heard her stutter over the word, but said nothing. She also knew that this was Regina's way of asking her to be with her for the procedure. A police officer didn't need to be present while it was being performed. Instead of telling her this, the blonde nodded.

"What did the doctor say about your head?" Emma asked changing the subject.

"I have a concussion and a cracked cheekbone." Regina answered as if this happened all the time, but then her eyes widened, "Where is Henry?"

Emma braced herself for the fury that was about to happen, "David said he was asleep, so he called Granny. He thought it would be better if we knew what was going on before worrying him."

The fury did not come, instead, the Mayor nodded her head as if agreeing, but said nothing.

"Regina, I know you don't want to talk about this right now, but I need to know what happened. Who did this to you?" As Sheriff, Emma did need the information. As someone who cared more than she liked to admit for the mayor, she needed to know.

Regina's lifted her eyes and met the green ones of the sheriff, but then looked down again. "I know, but does it have to be right now?"

Emma wanted to take away all her pain, sadness and shame but knew she couldn't. "No, but it's better to tell me what you know since it is fresh on your mind."

The mayor let out a soft, yet sad chuckle, "Oh I assure you, it will stay fresh in my mind."

Emma just stared at her, her heart hurt for this woman, but she smiled in a tight line, and nodded. Just when the sheriff was about to ask her something, a voice came from the doorway. "Miss Mills, I am here to take you to get the kit done", an unfamiliar nurse announced in a sweet voice.

Regina's eyes shot up at Emma in with a hint of panic. The blonde stepped closer to the mayor, "I'll be right there beside you".

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After the horrible process of the rape kit procedure, Regina was taken back to her bed. She couldn't think of anything more embarrassing or humiliating than that procedure.

She thought she wouldn't be able to look the blonde in the face after that. She was surprised at how much comfort having Emma there brought her. During the kit, Emma had tried to crack jokes about anything other than what was going on. She would ask about Henry so that the brunette's mind was taken off of what was being done to her. At one point, Regina had winced in pain, and the Sheriff grabbed her hand. The Mayor wasn't sure what had changed, but she felt safe with the blonde, and she didn't want her to leave her side.

She could feel Emma eyes on her, but she was afraid to return the gaze, for fear she would see pity. She could handle a lot of things, but not Emma Swan feeling pity for her. She had always been so strong, especially in front of the blonde. Here she is, stripped of her dignity, and now feeling so weak and vulnerable. A small amount of anger started to build in her chest; she was so mad and disappointed with herself. This would not have happened in the Enchanted Forest. This would not have happened to the Evil Queen. _Why had it happened now_? _Why couldn't she stop this_? She remembered trying to cast a fireball, but it was as if her magic was gone, even now she couldn't feel it.

Her emotions must have been swimming on her face because she suddenly felt a warm hand on hers and she looked up.

Emma looked concerned, "Are you okay"?

Normally, she would have bitten the blonde's head off, or have made some sarcastic remark, but she didn't. She just stared into the green eyes and squeezed the hand that was holding onto hers.

She had a sudden need to tell Emma everything she was feeling. The only trouble was the fear that it would be used against her or maybe the blonde wouldn't be able to handle it. She didn't know, but her mind was being pulled into a million different directions. Regina was starting to feel nauseous. The room started spinning, and the urge to empty the contents of her stomach grew at an alarming rate. Just as she bent forward to heave, Emma was there with the trash can, her other hand rubbing the brunette's back.

After she was sure she was done, the Mayor sat up straight on the bed. Emma went into the bathroom to wet a washcloth. She brought it to Regina and wiped her mouth before she sat the cloth down on the rolling bed table.

"Why are you being so nice to me?" The mayor asked before she thought it through. This caused her to flinch as she realized how unappreciative her question sounded.

Yet Emma didn't seem phased, instead she smiled, "Because you're letting me."

A small smile crossed Regina's lips, but she frowned on the inside. Emma was right. She was letting her, which was completely out of the norm. The Mayor always snapped at Emma for almost every nice gesture she had ever shown towards her. The brunette just shook her head of her thoughts. No matter what messed up bizarre things were going on in this town, Emma had always tried to be nice. This was true except when Regina had pushed all the sheriff's buttons. Such as the time the blonde assaulted her apple tree. She almost laughed out loud at the memory. It seemed so long ago now.

Emma's look became more serious, "You have to tell me what happened, Regina."

The brunette let out a heavy sign and looked at the jacket that was now lying in a chair on the other side of her bed. Her eyes looked up at Emma, then back down. "I was waiting for you to bring the reports, and after about an hour, I decided I would go ahead and put my stuff in the car. I was so aggravated at you." She gave a sad smile, "Then Henry called to inform me that he was staying with you and the Charmings. I got onto him about him being the child and me the adult, and that he didn't get to tell me what he is doing. I guess I was so distracted, I didn't see or hear anyone enter behind me. When I opened the office door, I heard a footstep. Thinking it was you, I turned to yell at you, but I was struck by something hard on the side of my head. I stumbled forward, and someone pushed me towards the couch. I fought back and the couch got flipped, then the conference chairs. I tried to use my magic, but I couldn't. I couldn't even feel it, it was gone. I was losing a lot of blood and felt like I was about to pass out when I was punched hard in the face. He threw me against the desk." Regina took a shaky breath and then continued, "I tried to get up, but he punched me again and again I fell. This time I couldn't fight anymore, hell I couldn't think straight. I was jerked up and they bent me over the desk, they ripped off my clothes, and had their way."

A tear had slipped past Regina's eye and she turned her head away from Emma to wipe it away. She expected Emma to look at her in disgust. Instead, when the brunette looked up, a tear was sliding down the blonde's face too. The same as the Mayors, Emma tried to wipe it away for fear of the other woman seeing.

"Did you see who it was", the Sheriff asked in a low, almost growl.

Regina was a little startled at the sound the blonde had made. There had not been very many times the Mayor had seen Emma upset or angry, but this scared even her.

"No. He never said a word, and there are a few things that I still can't recall", the brunette stated.

"Do you have magic now", Emma asked out of curiosity?

Regina waved her hand in the air, but nothing happened, "No, it's gone".

Emma pulled out her phone, "I'm texting David to come and get the rape kit, so we can get it to the lab for testing".

"Let me see her! Move out of my way, I am family, she is my mom", Henry's voice was loud and clear coming from somewhere out in the hallway. Regina and Emma looked at each other with surprise. The blonde hurried out the door to intercept their teenage son.

Fear welled up inside Regina, and she was starting to shake. She didn't want her son to see her like this. She was supposed to be his protector and she couldn't even protect herself. She fought back the tears that were threatening to come. She could hear Henry closer now, "Why didn't you tell me she was hurt?"

The brunette could barely hear the blondes respond, "Henry, calm down. I didn't mean to not tell you, I was."

"All you ever do is lie, just like them", he cut Emma off.

Regina could only assume he was talking about the Charming's. "She's my mother, and they told me it's nothing to worry about. Then I get here and hear a nurse talking about a rape kit for Mayor Mills."

The Mayor's heart sank, and her stomach rolled, making her feel as though she needed to hurl again. She should have told Emma to get him. The last thing any mother wants is for their child to see them like this, or to know what they went through.

Henry came through the door, the angry face he had shifted to a worry.

"Mom", he yelled as he ran towards her bed, he slowed when he noticed her eye, but then leaned down to wrap his arms around her.

Regina hugged him back, as she looked at the sheriff. Emma stayed by the door with one hand on her hip, the other pinched the bridge of her nose, lost in her thoughts. The Mayor wanted this to be over so badly. She would try and put on the strong face with Henry, and everyone else. It wasn't for their benefit, it was for hers. She knew that if she continued to let herself be afraid, or show any other weak emotion, she would crumble. The world would see her fall.

Henry stood up, with tears falling down his face. He turned and glared at Emma, "This is your fault!"

Emma mouth fell open, "What?"

Even Regina was taken aback. She reached her hand out to stop Henry, or at least to calm him, but he continued, "You promised you would protect her! Where were you?"

The mayor saw the look that swept across the sheriff's face. It looked like guilt, but that is not what she should be feeling. Regina pulled on Henry's arm to get his attention, "Henry, honey, this isn't Emma fault. If anything, she saved me. I wouldn't be here if she hadn't come by the office."

The teenager glanced down at Regina, and then back up at his birth mother. "You wouldn't have had to be saved if she had protected you."

"What am I supposed to do, Henry, go everywhere with her? I didn't know this was going to happen." Emma's voice had raised several octaves and her cheeks had turned a reddish hue.

Henry walked over to Emma, who was now as tall as she and shoved her back into the door frame. "You wanted this to happen, or you would have kept your promise." He walked out of the room and down the hallway.

"Is everything okay, Emma", David's voice asked from behind her.

Emma turned to her father with a confused look, "Yeah, everything is fan-fucking-tastic."

David said nothing to the remark, instead he asked, "Where is the evidence and I will take it down to the l"

He stopped when he saw Regina's face, "Holy shit! Who in the hell"

This time Emma cut him off, "She doesn't know, that's what our job is."

Emma could see the anger well up in her father's features. He may not trust Regina that much, but he sure as hell would never let some jackass touch her without permission.

He quickly turned to a chair by the door. It had all of the evidence collected from Regina's clothes and body. Each item was in individual baggies and placed into a larger paper bag, he picked it up and then turned to the Mayor. "We will get him, Regina", He turned and walked away.

Emma's phone vibrated in her hand, looking down she saw it was a text from Snow. _'I had Ruby take Henry for the night so that he could calm down. Can I see Regina?'_

Emma released a loud sigh, glancing over to the mayor, who had gone quiet. "Henry is with Ruby", Emma watched Regina's reaction to gauge her next comment. When the mayor only nodded, the blonde continued, "Snow wants to see you."

The brunette's eyes shot up to meet the sheriff's, "why? I guess she really does want to see me fall."

The statement hit a nerve with Emma, "No she doesn't, Regina. She cares about you."

The mayor rolled her eyes, "That will be the day."

Emma walked towards the bed. "She was crying before she even knew what had happened to you, and are you forgetting my superpower? I can tell when people are lying."

Regina tried to look as though she wasn't phased by what she had said, but her eyes gave her away.

Emma smiled softly, "Besides, she won't leave me alone unless you agree."

The mayor stared at her for a moment and then agrees by nodding her head slightly. The blonde was relieved, she quickly texted back, _'She said you can come.'_

"Emma, about Henry", Regina started.

"Don't worry about it", the blonde interrupted, with a fake laugh.

Regina knew how hurt the sheriff was over what their son had said. It was written all over Emma's face, but the brunette could do nothing now to fix it.

In less than two minutes, Snow was standing in the doorway. One look at Regina's face and tears flowed down the short haired brunette's face. She walked slowly over to the mayor's bed.

Emma watched as snow approached Regina, and she could see the uneasy look on the queen's face.

The sheriff stepped around the bed. She put her hands on the mayor's shoulder for encouragement. Snow bent down to hug the queen. Emma felt the tension in the mayor's shoulder, but then she relaxed into the hug.

Emma's phone vibrated again and she looked down at it. It was a text from David, _'We will have to wait until the lab opens at eight am Monday morning.'_

The sheriff looked down at her watch, it was 12 am Saturday. She knew the lab would be closed, but there were a couple of lab technicians there overnight. one of them she knew personally and he owed her a favor.

The blonde squeezed Regina's shoulder again. "I am going to step outside the door and make a quick call", she said raising the phone up, as if someone wouldn't believe her.

No one said anything as the sheriff exited the door. In the hallway, she punched in the number, placed the phone to her ear and waited. After several rings, a man answers the phone, "Storybrooke labs."

"Gordon, I need a favor", she said.

The man on the other end seemed nervous, "What kind of favor Sheriff Swan?"

Emma laughed, "It's not illegal Gordon, calm down. I sent my deputy there with a rape kit that needs to be tested, and I need it started tonight."

"I'm really busy sheriff, why can't it wait until Monday", he asked.

Emma's voice grew stern, "because I need it now Gordon, and I want you to be the one to work on it. It's very important I find out who did this. You owe me, Gordon. If you do not do this for me, then I will bring up the hybrid marijuana plants that you have growing in your garage. Do you have any idea what the police do to drug plants that get confiscated, Gordon." She didn't wait for a response, "They burn them. Then you will sit in jail for the little mishap that I let you go for a while back. Then who will take care of you poor grandmother?"

Gordon laughed, "You wouldn't do that. You would get into trouble too."

Emma gritted her teeth. "Your right, but at this point, I don't care. You will open the door for my deputy. If you don't, I will not only do what I said, but I will also", Emma's voice yelled the last part, "STOMP A MUDHOLE IN YOUR ASS!" She hung up the phone and slipped it into her pocket.

Emma was in deep thought when she walked back into the room and looked up. The two brunettes were staring wide-eyed at her.

"Is everything all right Miss. Swan," Regina asked.

Emma still distracted, "Yeah, I have to run down to the lab for a little bit, but I will be back. Will the two of you be okay until I return?"

Emma missed the look of panic that flashed across Regina's face. She leaned down to kiss Snow on the cheek, then without thinking did the same to the mayor.

"I'll be back soon", she called over her shoulder.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Emma walked up to David inside Storybrooke labs. He turned to greet her with a smile, "How did you get them to agree?"

Emma rubbed the back of her neck, "It's a long story, and he owed me a favor."

The door they were standing in front of, made a buzzing sound, and then opened. A tall, bald, very broad man walked out to greet them. He reminded the deputy of an ex-convict. David's eyes widened at the intimidating fellow.

"So if I do this for you, the other stuff will be forgotten?" The man asked Emma.

She put her hands on her hips and tilted her head a bit, "That depends Gordon."

The bald man rubbed his head, "On what?"

The blonde grabbed the bag of evidence from David and passed it to Gordon, "On how quickly you can get me the results."

The large man looked into the bag, and then grabbed one of the smaller bags and pulled it out. His eyes grew wide and his eyebrows raised, "Mayor Mills?"

"This stays between us", the sheriff snapped as she moved her finger between the three of them to show what she meant.

Gordon dropped the baggy back into the bag, turned and disappeared through the door. Seconds later, that same door closed, then clicked loudly, indicating it had locked.

David followed behind Emma as they exited the building. Once they were out in the street He spoke, "And that is the guy you threatened to stomp a mud hole in?"

The blonde spun around in surprise, "How do you know about that?"

He shrugged, "Your mom texted me."

Emma nodded her head and mouthed the word 'oh'. She remembered the surprised look on her mother and Regina's face before she left. She turned back around and started walking toward her car. "I'm going to run back by town hall and see if we missed anything."

"He didn't mean it, Emma," David said out of nowhere.

The sheriff stopped but did not turn around. She knew exactly who he was talking about, "Yeah, well, you sure could have fooled me."

David walked closer to her and put his hand on her shoulder, "He's mad at himself, and he's taking it out on you."

Emma's phone vibrated in her pocket. She pulled it out and saw a text from snow. _'Regina needs a change of clothes from her house and her briefcase from her car, can you get them or should I send David?'_

Her dad was close enough to see the text, so he said, "Why don't you go get the Mayor some clothes. I'll go to the Town hall to get her briefcase?"

She wanted to argue, and tell him that she needed to go to the Town Hall herself. She needed to find out who had hurt her mayor. _Her mayor_ , she thought to herself. Maybe Henry had been right. Maybe this was her fault. If she had just been on time. She now felt guilty for calling Regina a bitch and complaining so much about how tired she was.

"Emma, are you okay?" David asked with a concerned expression.

The blonde jumped, "Oh, okay, you go to town hall and I'll get her a change of clothes."

David turned the sheriff so that she was facing him, "Emma, this isn't your fault. Bad things happen sometimes."

His daughter's eyes narrowed, "Bad things happen sometimes? Are you serious, right now? Bad things aren't supposed to happen. We are supposed to protect the people of this town, and all of you are fairy tale characters for God's sake. Shit like this isn't in the books, this isn't supposed to happen. I was supposed to be there by seven, David, I was two hours late. Two hours would have made all of the difference. If I would have just done my damned job and stopped complaining, none of this would have happened."

"Emma, it's not your fault", he said again as he went in to hug her.

Emma stepped back, but didn't make eye contact, she turned and left. David watched her as she walked the rest of the way to her car. The prince could feel there was something else eating at the sheriff, but he couldn't put his finger on it. He watched as she pulled out onto the street, then drove away. David pulled out his phone and called Mary Margret. He thought he should warn her of their daughter's state of mind.

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As Emma walked up the path to the mansion, she noticed the front door cracked open. She had a sudden feeling of deja vu. She pulled her gun from her hip and pushed the door open. As she walked into the entryway, there was nothing but silence. She scanned around the large area for any signs of movement, still nothing. She walked into the living room, her eyes landed on a photo of Regina holding a toddler, Henry. Maybe after his outburst at the hospital, he came home to pack some things and forgot to shut the door. Suddenly something made a thud over her head.

Emma shot through the entryway towards the staircase. She slowed, taking each step cautiously. Sounds of movement could be heard. As she reached the top step, she realized the noise was coming from Henry's bedroom. The only light was the light from beneath the teenager's door. A shadow was moving around inside.

Emma slowly grabbed the door knob, and then with one smooth motion threw the door open, and yelled, "Don't move!"

To her surprise, it was the werewolf. She stuffing clothes into Henry's backpack, "Holy shit Em, you almost made me piss myself!"

Emma slipped her gun back into its holster and shook her head, "What are you doing here?"

"Cross-dressing as a teenage boy. What does it look like I'm doing? I am getting clothes for Henry", the waitress said with her hands on her hips, "What are you doing here?"

Emma pinched the bridge of her nose again, "Regina needs me to pick up some stuff too."

"I heard she was raped", the other woman stated rather than asked.

The sheriff dropped her hands down to her sides, almost in a defeated manner, and nodded to confirm. Her expression didn't go unnoticed by the werewolf.

The blonde turned without another word and started for the mayor's bedroom.

"Henry didn't mean it, Em," Ruby called after her.

She wasn't having this conversation again tonight. She waved her hand over her shoulder, and simply replied, "It doesn't matter."

Ruby started to continue but could sense the tension from the sheriff. Instead, she went back to gathering Henry's belongings. If there was one thing she had learned in the time she had known the blonde, it was that you didn't poke the bear. Emma was one of the easiest going people she knew, well besides Mary Margret. Yet the sheriff, had a very nasty bite when provoked.

Once in Regina room, Emma sat down on the edge of the mayor's bed. She was so tired, she just wanted to rest her feet for a minute. It dawned on her that she had never been in this room. _Why should she have been?_ She and the Evil Queen weren't even friends, let alone anything that should grant her access to this room.

She let her body fall back onto the bed. _Oh man at how soft this mattress was_ , she thought to herself. Without thinking, she reached over and grabbed up one of the mayor's pillows. She held it in the air above her head for a moment, and then pulled it to her face inhaling deeply. The scent of Regina was intoxicating. She could hear footsteps approaching the doorway. She quickly threw the pillow back where it and sat up.

"Hey, Em, just letting you know I am headed out", Ruby paused, then said, "He feels really bad for what he said to you."

Emma stood and walked over to the dresser, "Well, he shouldn't, he was right."

"How could you even think that", the brunette said with an astonished look on her face.

The blonde pinched the bridge of her nose again. The headache was threatening to make her head explode. "I just had this same conversation with David. I'm the sheriff and I should have been there, and I wasn't, all right?"

A confused look shone in the waitress' eyes, "Em, there was no way anyone could have known this was going to happen."

"I was two hours late, Ruby. Then you beg me to go and have a drink, and I had almost forgotten about the paperwork to take to her. If I had done my job and brought the paperwork on time, this would not have happened", Emma rambled.

"Are you blaming me for this too? I asked to come and hang out with your friends. Em, you haven't had a day off in months", Ruby there was hurt in her voice.

The blonde looked up and realized what she had said, "No, I'm not blaming you. I didn't mean it to come out like that, I'm sorry. I was supposed to protect her, and I failed."

Ruby smiled softly, "Em", she stared at her friend's face, "I know you have feelings for her."

Emma's eyes grew wide, "What? No, I I mean I'm not even friends with her".

The waitress smiled at the blonde stumbling over words. "Look, Em, you will catch the piece of shit that did this, and I will help in any way I can, but you have to stop blaming yourself."

Ruby looked at the blonde, but then shook her head and walked out of the room. In the hallway, she stopped. Emma had a thing for the Mayor, this wasn't anything new. The waitress had been taking bets with Granny for several years now, but this was different. Sheriff Swan was in love with the Evil Queen. The waitress shook her head again, and Emma didn't even realize it.

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Emma stepped through the sliding glass door, with Regina's flower patterned handbag. She walked past the front desk towards the double doors. She could hear muffled voices in the distance. As she approached her destination, they grew louder.

"Get the hell out of here", Snow yelled.

Emma started running towards the mayor's room. As she rounded the corner, she saw two guys with cameras trying to pass through the door. The one on the left stuck his camera over Mary Margret's head and flashed a picture. The other one shoved past her on the right.

Emma grabbed the camera from the guy next to Snow, shoving Regina's bag into her mother's arms. She stormed into the room where the other was flashing picture after picture of the mayor. He asked, "Who attacked you Mayor Mills, our readers have a right to know."

Emma grabbed his camera out of his hand and slammed both devices hard onto the hospital floor. She then kicked one, causing it to fly and crash into the wall. She jerked the film door open and started pulling the undeveloped film out till there was no more. She grabbed the smashed camera from the floor and did the same.

One reporter started to argue, but he was meet with the sheriff's hand fisted around the front of his shirt. She slammed his back into the wall. In an almost non-human tone, Emma growled," It has been a really long fucking night. You and your friend will bid the mayor a good evening. You will forget what you have seen or heard about this situation. This is not your business, nor is it any other citizen in this town's business. If you or your friend have a problem with that, then I will shove those stupid cameras up your asses, am I clear?"

The reporter looked at the blonde to his friend then back to the blonde, "Crystal."

"Good", she said holding him in place a moment longer, and then she released him.

The man quickly grabbed what was left of the two cameras, being sure to leave the film, and then exited the room in a hurry.

Emma let out a loud sigh, again pinching the bridge of her nose. Her headache was still there. She rubbed the back of her neck and looked up. Both brunettes were looking at her. Mary Margret had a worried look on her face, but the mayor held an entirely different expression. For a second, Emma stared back into her chocolate eyes. She thought it might be admiration, but Mayor Mills would never look at the Savior that way. The blonde let her eyes fall, then cleared her throat, "I got you some things. I hope they are to your liking."

Regina could hear a little sarcasm in her tone but decided not to dwell on it. "Thank you, Sheriff, I am sure they are more than adequate."

Snow had been messing with her phone, but suddenly looked up, "Regina, I have to go. I need to pick up Neal from Granny's. but I'll be back in the morning", she glances over at her daughter, "Can I see you in the hall for a moment?"

Emma looked over at the mayor, who was watching her with curiosity. The blonde nodded towards her mother, then followed her out into the hallway.

Snow gave the sheriff a sad smile before she spoke. "Emma, I know you are stressed and angry, but please keep a clear head. Don't do anything stupid."

Emma just looked at her. There was no expression on her face. She knew she was losing it, but she was pretty sure that was due to the fact she hasn't slept. She glanced down at her watch, 4:25 am. A small warm hand touched the side of Emma's cheek causing her eyes to look back at her mother, "Please hear me, Emma. At least get some sleep. You're no good to her or anyone else like this." The short hair brunette smiled, and walked away, leaving the blonde to replay her words over in her head. What was she supposed to do, she wasn't leaving Regina alone, but she knew what her mother meant.

"Emma", Regina called from the room behind her. She could hear the fear in her voice.

The sheriff turned and walked back into the room. Relief flooded the mayor's face, and Emma gave her a reassuring smile, "I'm still here, if you want me to be, that is."

Regina didn't need to respond, the answer was clear on her face. As Emma started to sit down, she realized that the brunette had not been given the opportunity to take a shower. Emma could only image how disgusting the mayor had to feel. Grabbing the remote that was plugged into the bed, she pushed the green call button for the nurse.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

It was now after 6 am, and Regina had showered. The nurse told her she must remain in the less than flatering hospital gown. Changing into her own silk pajamas that Emma had brought for her was out of the question. Of course, she had argued with the nurse, but Emma had given her a look. That look made her drop the topic. Who would have ever thought that Sheriff Swan could give Mayor Mills a look that would pacify her. Maybe she had grown even weaker as the hours past, or maybe she felt sympathy for the blonde. Emma was under a lot of stress and didn't seem to be handling it well.

She lay in the bed, Emma sat reclined back in the chair next to her, as they both stared blankly at the television. Neither of them said a word, but they weren't really watching what was on the screen.

After a few minutes, Emma had fallen asleep. She looked so peaceful with her face relaxed and the soft breathing that made her chest rise and fall. Regina had noticed how the blonde was going out of her way, for this case, but it was more than just that. The blonde had literally held her hand during the rape kit, and the way she had stood up for her with the reporters. She wondered how much more in the past she hadn't noticed that the sheriff had done for her. She smiled to herself, as she stared down at the sleeping blonde. She had thought that everyone was against her, including the Charmings. She hadn't even realized that the blonde had done nothing more, than be a friend. Guilt washed over her as she thought of how she had treated Emma.

A light tap on the door snapped the Queen from her thoughts. When she looked up she saw Robin standing there.

He smiled, and then whispered, "Hey".

Regina smiled back, "Hey".

He walked over and leaned down to wrap her in his arms and kiss her lightly on the lips.

No one had noticed that Emma had awakened. Clearing her throat she stood up. "I'm going to go and get a shower, and then go check on things at the station." She look first at Robin, for longer than she probably should have, then to Regina, "If you need anything, you'll call me".

The mayor wasn't sure if that was a question or a statement, but she smiled and nodded her head. Emma smiled back, but the brunette could see the odd way the green eyes dropped from her brown ones. She wanted to say something but the blonde turned and left the room before anything could come out. A feeling of disappointment crept up on her, but she shook it off. Robin was here now, and that is all that she needed, at least that's what she told herself.

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At the diner, Emma sat at the counter. She desperately needed some coffee. It was already 9 am and she hadn't slept much. She had taken a quick shower at the station, and changed into a suit of clothes she had in her car. If nothing else they were cleaner than what she had been wearing. She didn't want to go home and have to deal with Mary Margret right now.

 _Why did she get a sudden feeling of jealousy, when she saw Robin kiss Regina_? Well, she guessed that was a stupid question. She knew why, but she refused to say the words even to herself. Robin is the mayor's true love, not the Sheriff's. Suddenly she felt herself getting angry. _Where the hell had he been?_ _Why hadn't he protected the woman he loves?_ Oh that's right, because he would rather be with the one he doesn't love in the woods somewhere. Everybody said that Robin stayed with Marian because he was an honorable man. She calls bullshit. The world is not just black and white. There are many shades between. If he was Regina's true love than he would not be with Marian, but if he loved Marian he would not be in love with Regina. She was being ridiculous, this wasn't even her business, at least that is what the mayor would have told her. She pinched the bridge of her nose and shook her head.

"Hey Em, what can I get you", Ruby asked, yanking the blonde from her thoughts.

Emma kept a neutral expression on her face, "Just coffee to go, thanks."

"Coming right up", the waitress smiled as she went to retrieve a cup.

Emma pulled out a few bucks from her front pocket and laid them on the bar. Ruby sat the to go cup down in front of her, when the blonde over heard a conversation a few stools down from her.

Leroy, Sidney, and a couple of other residents were talking loudly. "I heard someone tried to kill the mayor last night", one of the men said.

"I heard someone assaulted her", Leroy said.

Sidney had a smirk on his face, "Is it true Sheriff? We as the residents have a right to know if there is a violent rapist out there."

Emma's blood started to heat up. The look and tone of Sidney seemed to be of a mocking nature.

"I'm not at liberty to say or discuss", she gave a small smile and began to leave.

Sidney had turned to the men and said, "She deserves whatever she got."

Before Emma even knew what she was doing, she slammed her cup back down on the counter. She stormed over to Sidney and shoved him hard enough that he stumble a few feet backwards.

"What the fuck did you say?" she glared, "No one deserves that. If I thought it was anyone else's business then I would have informed you all, but it's not. Don't you ever say another word about the Mayor." She leaned closer to him, "Or you will meet Emma Swan, instead of Sheriff Swan!"

You could have heard a pin drop as Emma walked back over to the counter and picked up her coffee. When she spun to leave, she let her eyes glide over the faces inside the diner. They were all staring at her with wide eyes and opened mouths. As she got closer to the door she noticed Henry siting in a booth by himself, his look was more of pride. She knew the right thing to do was to be the parent, and go and talk to her son, but she couldn't. Her eyes fell from him as she went to open the door, bumping into Mary Margret.

"Hey Emma", she smiled, but the blonde pushed past her as she exited, leaving her mother with a worried look.

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Emma had called the lab many times, but never got an answer. The sheriff was losing her patience very quickly as she paced the floor in front of her desk.

"Emma, he said he would call you when he finished", David said from his desk across the room.

The blonde looked over at him, "He should have been done by now".

David tilted his head at her, "He has only been working on this for a few hours Em. He didn't even get the stuff until about three or so. Why don't you go check on Regina at the hospital?"

"I can't", she said, but then she realized how that came out, and tried to cover it by stating; "Robin is there with her."

Luckily she was able to change the subject when she remembered something. "Regina said her magic is gone."

David looked up, "I wondered about that, few people have bested the Evil Queen. What did she say about it?"

"She said that when she was attacked she tried to use it, but it was gone. She didn't have it at the hospital," Emma said as a thought suddenly dawned on her.

David stood up at the same time, "You thinking what I'm thinking?"

"Mr. Gold," the blonde replied as they made their way to the door.

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David wasn't sure what to expect from his daughter. According to his wife, Emma had been assaulting and threatening people all over town. If the situation weren't so serious, he may have laughed to himself at how much the blonde took after his wife. Well, maybe like his wife when she had taken the potion to forget about love.

He held the door to Gold's shop open for the sheriff to enter, she walked passed him.

Mr. Gold looked up from whatever it was he was doing behind the counter and gave his same snide question. "Sheriff Swan, to what do I owe the pleasure?"

Belle had been in the back room and poked her head out of the doorway when she heard Emma's name. She smiled at her friend, but then faltered when the other woman didn't return the gesture. Instead, she marched up to the counter and punched Gold square in the mouth.

The smaller man's head flew back from the force, "What the hell was that for?"

"You son of a bitch, you are the only person in this town with the ability to take someone's magic away", Emma hissed.

Gold looked at David, and then back to Emma, "What are you talking about?"

The anger flashed in Emma's eyes as she took a step closer. David put his hand up to stop her. He turned to explain, "Regina was attacked last night, and had no ability to fight back. Her magic has been taken."

Gold turned and looked at Belle, then back at the other two, "There is only one person who has asked about a spell like that."

Emma huffed, "Who, Gold?"

"Henry", was the almost inaudible reply.

Now it seemed the roles were reversed, because Emma was asking, "What the hell are you talking about?"

Belle walked closer to them. "He was asking if there was a spell that would block someone's magic about a month ago." When no one said anything, she continued. "He said something about needing to make a place magic free, but he didn't say what for."

Emma looked at the couple with worry, "So you told him the spell?"

Gold glared at the blonde, but Belle spoke again, "Of course not."

David watched his daughter rub the back of her neck. He would be lying if he said he wasn't worried about her. It was'n just her violent outbursts, but she also had dark circles under her eyes. That just confirmed that she hadn't been sleeping, and he had yet to see her eat anything. To top it off she was stressed beyond belief. He just knew it was a matter of time before she snapped.

"I have to talk to Henry", the blonde said out of nowhere.

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The loft seemed to have an odd feel to Emma as she entered. It had only been a little over 24 hours since she had been here. It just seemed, small and almost claustrophobic all the sudden. Henry sat at the table with his fairy tale book open.

The boy glanced up at his birth mother, and an instant tear ran down his cheek as their eyes met. She knew that he knew why she was there. All she could do was swallowed, her own tears were not far away, but she didn't want them spilling now.

David followed her to the small table and they both sat down. Not knowing what to say, she said the first thing that came to her head, "Hey kid?"

It sounded like someone else to her ears when she heard her own voice.

Henry didn't look up, but now more tears were falling and he started to sob as he spoke, "I didn't know she would get hurt, I swear. He told me he needed to put a no magic spell on the town hall because everyone was still scared of her. I told him mom wouldn't hurt anyone. He said if I did it the town's people would start to warm up to her. Since you stopped coming around, Mom's been so lonely, I thought that if she had friends, she would be happier."

Emma listened to her son ramble wide-eyed. She didn't notice the tear slipped from her eye, as others threatened to follow, "Who did you give the spell to, Henry?"

"Hook," He replied.

Killian Hook hadn't even entered her mind in weeks. She should have known he would do something like this. He was mad at her for breaking up with him a month ago. She was only kidding herself by being with him, she didn't love him, hell half the time she didn't even like him. If she gets her hands on him, he will be lucky if he has a hand left.

Henry was crying harder now, "I'm so sorry for what I said to you, I was mad because this is my fault, and that you never told her. I am so stupid!"

Emma was a bit dazed, but then his one comment made her look up, "I never told her what?"

Before he could answer, the blonde's phone went off. She quickly answered it, "Yeah."

Belles voice said, "The spell Henry got wasn't a spell blocker, it was a spell collector."

She looked up at her son, who was still crying, but then looked away again, "What does that mean? Can she get it back?"

"Rumple is looking into it now, I'll call you back when we have something", the Aussie said before hanging up.

David waited for Emma to tell him what the call was about, "Who was that?"

Emma didn't want Henry to feel any worse, but it would be worse if she hid it from him. "The spell Henry gave hook was to collect someone's magic, not block it."

"Oh my God this is all my fault. She will never forgive me", Henry's tears continued.

Emma grabbed the teen by his arms, "Look at me." When his eyes met hers, she continued, "I'm not trying to be mean, but you need to get a grip. If you want to help your mom, then we both need clear heads. Your mother has done a lot of terrible things, but one thing I know for sure is that she loves you more than anything. I know she will forgive you. Now, I need you to tell me everything, starting at the beginning."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Emma walked down the dock where Hook's ship was tied. She looked all over the entire vessel, but the pirate was nowhere to be found. David was checking out the Rabbit Hole where Hook liked to frequent. Henry went to Gold's to see if he could help in finding out what could be done about his mother's missing magic.

Emma's phone went off, and she answered, "Yeah".

"You must have had a very busy day Miss. Swan. Have you found out anything?" Came Regina's voice through the receiver.

The sheriff's stomach fluttered for a second at the voice, but she quickly recovers. "I was going to swing by there earlier to fill you in, but," she hesitated. "I thought I would give you some privacy with, Robin."

The blonde tensed when she said the thief's name and hoped the mayor didn't hear it too.

"Well, that was considerate of you, but he left about an hour after you did." Emma could hear a hint of sadness in the brunette's voice, and figured she was sad that he had gone.

"Why didn't you call me? I would have come back to be with you", Emma kicked herself subconsciously for the way she said that.

"I thought you were busy, and I didn't want to bother you," Regina said.

Without thinking, the blonde replied, "You could never bother me, Madam Mayor." There was a moment of silence, and Emma cursed to herself for the remark. Nothing was coming out the way it was supposed to.

Emma walked as she spoke to Regina, and was now about 100 yards from the ship. She glanced back and saw a figure stroll up the gangplank of Hook's ship. The figure was vaguely familiar, but it was too far away to know for sure. She turned around and headed back towards the ship again, "Hey Regina, I have to go, but I will see you in a little bit okay?"

Emma could hear the confusion in the mayor's voice, but she replied, "Okay?"

The sheriff slipped the phone into her pocket as she neared the vessel. She drew her firearm and slowly boarded. As she neared the small stairs to the underbelly of the ship, she could hear someone rustling around.

Emma opened the cabin door cautiously and peered in. She could she the figure digging through the cabinets. Every so often they would toss an object over their shoulder and let it hit the floor behind them.

"Hold it right there", Emma said in a slow tone.

The figure spun around quickly.

"Will," Emma asked surprised?

Lowering his arms, he gave a grin, "Hi there Emma, what brings you out on this lovely afternoon?"

Still holding her gun on him, she smiled back, "I could ask you the same thing."

"Well you see, I got lost, and ended up here", he lied.

"Cut the shit, Will. What were you looking for", the sheriff asked as her eyebrows narrowed?

Will's face became serious, "Hook made a deal with me, but he hasn't paid up."

Something told the blonde that all this was connected, "What was the payment?"

"Black magic essence", he said.

She asked, "And where did the pirate come across such a thing?"

The man scratched his head, "I don't know, there are rumors that it's from the Evil Queen herself, but I doubt that."

The blonde could see a small box in his hand, "Hand it over Will."

Will rolled his eyes and sighed. "Here, but just so you know, there are some people who would pay a lot for something like that."

As she held the box, it made a creepy chill go up her spine. The small cube reminded her of the puzzle Box in Hell Raiser, but like all things with dark magic, it seemed to fit.

Placing the box into her pocket, she pulled her handcuffs from the back of her belt, "You're coming with me."

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Regina couldn't get the phone conversation between Miss. Swan and herself out of her head. Maybe she was just imaging it, but it almost seemed as though the sheriff was flirting with her. She shook her head. No, it had to be stress.

A knock at the door caused her to look up. Mary Margret stood with her annoying smile. No matter how much she wanted to be rude with the woman right now, she couldn't. She had come to realize who has been there for her and who has not.

She smiled back at the short haired brunette and waved her in.

"I brought you some of Granny's special chicken soup." Mary Margret pulled a container out of the bag she was carrying, "Did the doctor say when he was going to release you?"

Regina smiled her thanks for the soup, and then she replied, "I thought it was going to be today, but I haven't heard back yet."

The shorter haired brunette placed the soup on the roller table, "I bet you are ready to go home".

The mayor smiled. Honestly, she was terrified to go home. Henry had been spending all his time with the Charmings, and she was all alone. _What would happen if Emma didn't catch him?_ _What if he came back for her?_ She hadn't been this scared in her entire life. It made her feel so powerless, but she didn't say anything, she just smiled at the woman next to her.

Mary Margret spoke again. "I hope David and Emma find this low life soon. I don't think Emma will make it much longer, or anyone who gets in her way for that matter."

"What do you mean", Regina asked?

The shorter haired brunette looked at her. "Well, you know how last night we heard Emma threaten someone on the phone," She waited and Regina nodded. "Well come to find out, it was a lab tech named Gordon. According to David, he is a very large gentleman. They wouldn't have even been able to start tests on the evidence until Monday, but Emma got him to start last night. Then this morning, she was in the diner getting coffee, when Sidney made some very rude comment about you. She shoved him as well as threatened him. That's not even the worst thing," Snow paused, as Regina's eyes grew wider, "She punched Mr. Gold in the mouth."

Regina was shell shocked, Emma must be over stressed. The Emma she knew didn't act this way. She would be lying if she were to say that she didn't feel flattered that the woman stood up for her. Now another feeling of guilt washed over her, for her past treatment of her son's mother. Maybe she should give the blonde a vacation. She would let her take Henry wherever she wanted so that she could get away.

"Hey mom," came Henry's voice from the doorway.

Regina looked up, and also saw Emma standing there. It appeared as though they had made up, but neither of their faces looked happy.

"What's the matter," she asked as her eyes darted from son to sheriff.

"I'm going to go and see if I can find the doctor for you," Mary Margret said.

As Emma and Henry walked in, the blonde's mother shut the door behind her. The mayor could see that her son had been crying, by how red and puffy his eyes were. She looked to Emma, who had similar red and puffy eyes, with dark circles.

The sheriff, made a gesture towards the teenager, "Go ahead, Henry."

New tears formed in his eyes as he spoke, "It is my fault."

Regina held out her hand for her son to come closer, "Honey, this isn't your fault."

"I'm the reason you don't have any magic", He said in a low tone.

The mayor's eyes flew up to the blonde in confusion, but Henry continued to speak. "Hook told me that I needed to get him a spell to cast on the town hall. He said if I did, that the residents wouldn't be afraid of you anymore. He said that they would come to trust you if you didn't have magic during the town meeting." His tears were flowing again, "I'm so sorry mom, it's my fault they hurt you. I love you and now I've made you hate me. Please forgive me."

Regina was dumbfounded for a second. She pulled her son into a tight embrace, as tears of her own started falling, "It's not your fault, baby. I forgive you. I love you so very much," she kissed his head. "I could never hate you."

The mayor held her son for quite a while until his sobs calmed down. She had silently let hers fall, before wiping them away with the back of her hand. She glanced up at Emma just in time to see her wipe a wet streak from her cheek.

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Henry had pulled himself together and decided to go down to find a vending machine.

"Please tell me your sleazy pirate didn't rape me," Regina said in a disgusted tone. She immediately regretted it.

"First of all, he is not my pirate, I broke up with him over a month ago, second, I don't know for sure. The damn lab is slow as hell and we can't find Hook", Emma hissed.

Regina could see the stress and tension in the blonde, "I'm sorry, Emma. I don't know why I said that."

The sheriff walked over to the bed and took Regina's hand. "You're scared, and have been through a lot, it's understandable. I hope you know you can trust me. I'm here for you if you need me", she looked into Regina's eyes, "Even if you think it's stupid.."

The mayor's breath hitched at what the blonde had said and how intense her green eyes were. The sheriff leaned closer, and Regina closed her eyes. She was waiting for the feel of those soft lips against her own. She could feel the body heat radiating off of the Sheriff, and just as their lips were to touch, the phone next to her rang.

Both women jumped apart, and Regina grabbed the receiver, "Hello?"

She knew the British accent anywhere, "Hey love, just calling to check in with you."

"Oh, hey, Robin. I'm fine actually", she said with a fake smile as her eyes glance over to Emma. She could see the disappointment written all over it.

"I'm glad you called. If I need anything I will call, thank you", she said, before hanging up the phone.

She noticed that Henry had reappeared in the doorway now holding a small bag of chips and a soda. Emma had moved a few steps from the bed, which made the mayor frown.

Henry looked from one parent to the other, "What did I miss?"

Emma made eye contact with Regina but said nothing. The mayor smiled and shook her head at her son. Emma's phone vibrated in her pocket, and she pulled it out to check it.

The mayor watched the blonde's face as she read the message. Several emotions seem to run across it, but an intense anger remained.

"What's the matter," The Queen asked.

The sheriff looked up. "David found Hook and is taking him to the station." She glanced over to Henry, " You stay here with your mom, and don't leave her side, I'll be back."

The teenager only nodded, "You can count on me."

As the blonde turned to leave, she turned back to the mayor, "Oh and I nearly forgot."

She pulled the small box out of her pocket and handed it to Regina. The brunette looked at it suspiciously, but then a look of surprise replaced it, "My magic. How did you find it?"

"Will had stolen it from Hook. Supposedly the pirate was going to give it to Will as some sort of payment but then reneged," Emma explained.

"I don't know how to open it, but I can feel my magic inside", Regina said sadly.

The sheriff gave a soft smile, "If you want I can see what Gold and Belle can find out about it. They are already working on how to reverse the spell, but the box may help to speed up their search."

Regina stretched her arm out to hand the box back. As the blonde took it, the brunette gently closed her fingers around Emma's. "Please be careful, don't do anything stupid."

Emma's eyes were dark, "Why does everyone keep saying that?"

The Queen released her hand, "Because you aren't yourself right now, Miss. Swan."

Regina watched as the blonde turned and left the room. She had not meant to call her the famous Miss. Swan. Every time she started going soft for the sheriff, she would step back into the formalities. It was a defense mechanism.

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Emma took a deep breath before she opened the door to the station. She went inside with her mind on Regina. They had almost kissed, and the blondes stomach flutter at the thought. _What the hell is wrong with her?_ The woman had been beaten and raped and you are trying to flirt with her. For a second she felt sick, she compared herself to Hook.

Will lay quietly stretched out on his cot. His arms folded under his head. He glanced up when she walked passed but remained silent. _Good boy, Emma said to herself_. It would not be in his best interest to annoy her at this moment in time.

David met his daughter as she rounded the corner to the interrogation room.

"Are you sure you can handle this?" He asked.

Emma looked at him, "Yes."

David eyed her, "Are you sure, I can do this without you if you..."

"What the hell David? I'm going in. This could be the asshole that sexually assaulted Regina, and he's my ex, so yes, I'm sure," she said raising her voice.

He didn't say anything else to her as she shoved passed him and barged into the little room. Hook sat with the same smug look on his face as always, and Emma gave a fake smile back.

"So, Hook, what have you been up to lately," she asked.

His smirk remained, "You know, love, same old, same old."

Emma clenched her teeth together causing her jaw muscles to flex, "Cut the crap, Killian. Why did you have Henry steal the spell for you?"

The pirate laughed, "I don't know what you are talking about, love."

Emma grabbed Hook by his shoulder then slammed his face into the wooden table. When his head came back up, blood dripped from his nose, "Are you upset because I took your girlfriend's powers? She took the one thing I loved, so I took the one thing she loves."

Emma's eyes narrowed, "My girlfriend?"

David was standing, preparing himself in case he would need to restrain his daughter. Hook wiped at the blood that was dripping down his chin, "I see the way you look at her. Hell, everyone does. She was all that you talked about when we were together." He paused as he watched the confusing on her face, he suddenly burst into laughter, "You don't even know, do you?"

Emma's eyes narrowed again and she growled, "Why did you rape her?"

The pirate's smirk, suddenly disappeared, "What? Whoa there, I didn't touch anyone! You're saying someone raped the Evil Queen?"

Emma looked at David. Her super-human lie detector seemed to confirm he was telling the truth. She then looked back to Hook, "Why did you promise the Queen's magic to Will?"

Hook's face was dead sober now as he wrapped his head around what someone had done to the mayor. He then looked up, "Because I was mad, and Will said he knew someone that would pay a good price for it. At first, I was all for giving it to him, but then I actually felt bad. I was going to give it back to her, but I just wanted to make her suffer for a bit."

"Oh you got what you wanted", She hissed.

"No! I would never wish that on anyone. Look, I know I have done some bad things in my time, but you have to believe me. I had nothing to do with that nor would I", the pirate pleaded as he looked the blonde in the eyes.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Sitting in the booth at the diner, David took a sip of his soda, "So you believe him?"

Emma had eaten a couple of fries off her plate, but her appetite wasn't in it, "Yeah, I do. He's a sleazeball, and a thief, but I can tell when someone is lying, and he wasn't, not when he heard what had happened to Regina."

She had to admit that she felt relief knowing Hook hadn't assaulted the Mayor. That is all she could think about when she had left. She dropped the box off at Gold's shop and was promised a call soon for any new information came up.

Ruby walked up to the table with her hand on her hip, "How are you doing, Em?"

"I'll be better when we catch this guy," she smiled up at the waitress.

Ruby gave a tight-lipped smile, "You'll get him, I have faith."

Emma didn't say anything, she just smiled back. As she spoke with Ruby, she watched Robin walk in with Marian and their son. He kept his hand on his wife lower back as they sat down in their seats. He smiled and laughed with his family as if nothing had happened. _How could he sit there like that when his true love had been raped and beaten? Didn't he care?_ But then she remembered how his expression never changed when he saw Regina this morning. The mayor's eye alone was shocking and the bruising on her cheek. For a true love, he couldn't care less, or at least that is how it seemed.

"Emma, did you hear me," her father asked, pulling her from her thoughts.

"What," she asked as she looked at her father than to the waitress.

David eyed his daughter suspiciously. "I said I have to go back to the station, I figured while we are waiting for answers, I would get a head start on those reports."

Emma nodded to her father, as she pretended to eat her food. When she knew he had exited the diner, she stood and walked over to Robin's table.

"Hey Robin, hear from the mayor lately," Robin's eyes narrowed, but his lips smiled, "Yes, just a bit ago, actually."

Emma glanced over at Marion, who looked uncomfortable. Roland appeared oblivious to most things at his age. "Can I have a word with you", she turned her attention back to the thief.

Robin sighed but stood and followed the blonde to the back of the diner away from prying ears. "Why are you not with Regina," she all but yelled.

Robin glared, "Keep your voice down. I love Regina, but I have a wife and son to think about."

Emma laughed dramatically, "You're kidding me, right? Your true love has been beaten and raped, and you are here playing house with a wife. you're acting as if nothing ever happened."

"Mind your own business, Sheriff", the thief said in a dangerous tone.

The blonde started into his eyes with just as much intensity. She shook her head and then walked away. As Emma exited the diner, she heard Ruby call her name, following close behind.

Once outside Emma turned, "I'm sorry Ruby, I wasn't trying to start anything in there, I just had a couple of questions."

Ruby pulled Emma by the arm, to direct her away from the people who were attempting to enter the diner, "I know, I heard."

Emma looked at the waitress skeptically

"Werewolf, remember", Ruby smile; "super hearing".

Emma nodded, "Right."  
"Don't let him get to you, Em. He's a jerk, and Regina deserves better", she smiled at her friend softly.

"But does she see that," Emma gave a sad smile as she walked away?

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Regina stretched her arms above her head as she yawned. Looking down at the clock on the wall, it was past lunch. Henry was asleep in the chair next to her. She could only imagine the guilt he felt. The phone rang causing her and to jump, yet it didn't phase her son.

"Hello", she answered?

"Why is the sheriff harassing me," Robin's voice barked.

"What? What did she say," she asked puzzled?

"S he was hounding me about being with Marion and not you. She told me I didn't care about you because I'm not there holding your hand." His tone was rude, and she was taken aback by it, "Did you send her, because I told you that I chose my wife?"

Suddenly Regina wasn't feeling very well, "No, I most certainly did not."

"Well, tell her to get off my back. She is not to discuss you in front of my family, it upsets them", he snapped before hanging up the phone in her ear.

She knew he had been being a little standoffish, but now he was just being an ass. She would give the sheriff a piece of her mind. Emma had a bad habit of messing everything up with her good intentions. _Why did she always have to be in the mayor's business?_ She was turning out to be just like her parents.

Mary Margret had successfully located the doctor, who said he would release her around 3 pm or so. The short haired brunette had insisted that she drive the mayor home after. The truth was, Regina just wanted to be home. If Mary Margret was offering her a lift, she was going to take it.

Before the mayor could stop her, she had dialed Emma's number. "Emma, I was calling to let you know the doctor is releasing Regina in a couple of hours." The shorter haired brunette pause for a second as she listened to her daughter, "No, I'm going to give her a ride. You need to get Henry some clothes," there was another pause before she said, " Yes, I think that's a good idea. Okay sweetie, we will see you later then, bye, bye", she said before ending the call.

Regina looked at her skeptically, "Why is she getting clothes for Henry?"

Mary Margret smiled, "Because Henry is going home with you. Oh, and Emma will be staying with you too, or at least until they catch the guy."

Regina's eyebrows shot up into her hairline, "That will not be necessary."

"It's already done, and besides, Emma doesn't do well with words like 'no'. She does the opposite of what you say she should do", Mary Margret said.

"Yes, I'm familiar with Miss. Swan's childlike manners," she said sarcastically.

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"Sheriff Swan," Emma answered the phone.

Belle's voice came through the receiver, "We think we have it."

Caught off guard for a moment, "You go what?"

"The box, we think we know how to open it so that Regina can get her magic back", the beauty replied.

"Great!" the blonde said with excitement, "What does she need to do?"

"Well, Rumple said it would take both of you", Belle didn't hesitate.

Emma raised an eyebrow, "Why me?"

"He wasn't quite clear on that, but I think it has something to do with the spell needing white magic to open." The Aussie stated.

The sheriff was quiet for a second, "Okay. Have Gold meet us at Regina's tonight."

Belle told her she would before she hung up the phone. Emma's head was spinning, so she sat down on a bench that was near her. She had walked down to the docks for some fresh air. This town should have been named Wonderland because nothing here is ever quite as it seems.

It was already after 3, so she knew Regina was being released. The blonde had already swung by the loft and pack her son and herself some clothes. For some reason, she wasn't in a hurry to go to Regina's. She knew she wanted to be near the Mayor more than anything, not to mention to protect her, but she was so confused.

 _Had she imagined the way Regina looked at her, or that they had almost kissed?_ She wasn't sure of anything. She wasn't upset with Henry anymore, but his words still played in her mind, because of her own guilt.

The blonde pinched the bridge of her nose, wishing she would have taken some aspirin back at the station. She dialed the lab's number and waited.

Luckily, after the first curse broke, David had the bright idea to have everyone do DNA tests. This has helped the residents find lost family members. Davis had insisted that anyone coming into town be swabbed. Of course, Regina had thought it was a stupid idea and that it was a violation of the people's right. The truth was, the woman seemed to have a slight fear of needles. She seemed to relax more when she found out it was just a cotton swab of the inside of her mouth.

Emma growled as she ended the continuous dialing of the phone after no one answered. She was no closer to catching this guy. Her only two suspects were locked up. Even though they were both worthless excuses for men, neither had touched Regina. Maybe if she retraced her steps she could find some new leads.

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Regina had gotten Mary Margret, who was opposed to the idea, to swing by the town hall so she could get some paper work. When the shorter haired brunette started to exit the car, the mayor was quick to tell Henry and her to stay.

"Mom, Emma said I was to stay by your side," Henry said.

"I will only be a minute. You stay in the car with your granMary Margret, and I will be back in a minute." She smiled, but her tone told her son she was serious.

Henry let out a sigh and flung himself back into the seat. Regina knew her son wanted to not only do as he was told, but he genuinely wanted to protect his mother. She didn't know what she would find when she went inside and she didn't want anyone to see her if she broke down.

The mayor walked across the street and passed her car as she went towards the door of the town hall. As she passed her Mercedes, she noticed that the driver side door was unlocked.

"I ask that prince to do one damned thing. He can't even lock the door back," she mumbled as she used her key to unlock the building door.

She walked slowly to her office door and could see where the sheriff had burst the glass to gain entrance. Her blood was pumping loudly in her hears, and she was starting to shake. Walking into the office, the pieces of glass crunched beneath her feet. It made an eerie shiver creep up her spine.

As she continued walking into the office, she kept repeating, "just get the papers and go, just get the papers and go." Her eyes would not stay focused on the task. Taking slow breaths, she told herself that it wasn't a big deal until she reached her desk. Blood splatter was along the floor, covering the desk. When she stepped around it, her eyes found the large dried pool of blood.

Her breathing increased. She felt light headed, and like she suddenly couldn't breathe. She wanted to scream. Fear surrounded her and she didn't know what to do.

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Emma pulled up beside her mother's car and got out. Walking up the driver side door she asked with an apprehensive tone, "Where is Regina?"

Mary Margret looked down guiltily, but then Henry answered. "She went to get some paperwork to take home, and before you say anything, she wouldn't let me go with her."

"Of course she wouldn't," Emma hissed.

She shook her head, "Stay here", and then she took off in a jog towards the building.

She entered cautiously because she didn't want to startle the Mayor. _What was Regina thinking?_ It wasn't good for her to come back here so soon. It then dawned on the blonde as why. The brunette had wanted to prove to herself that she was all right, but Emma hoped, for the Queen's sake, she was right.

As the blonde got to the open office door, she called, "Regina? It's just me."

She thought she heard something, but she didn't get a vocal response. Emma walked quickly passed the doorway, crunching in through the glass. She scanned the darkened room for any sign of the mayor. At first, she didn't see anything, but then something moved at the far right of the room.

After the sheriff's eyes focused, she could see a small figured cowered in the corner against the wall. she jogged in that direction as she called, "Regina?"

Now standing in front of the person, she could not only see that it was Regina, but she could hear her quiet sobs. Emma dropped to her knees and touched the mayor's arm lightly. Her heart was nearly broken when the chocolate colored eyes met her own. Tears poured from them relentlessly.

Emma wasn't sure what to do, but she leans in and put her arms around the Queen, "Shhh, I got you. Why did you come here, Regina? I would have picked up whatever you needed."

She didn't mean to scold the woman she just couldn't stand to see the once fierce, Evil Queen, this broken. The blonde would do anything for her, and at this moment, that scared the crap out of her.

After a few minutes, the sobs stopped, but the two women remained in the same position. Emma let Regina snuggle up to the crook of her neck, as the blonde ran her fingers through the brunette locks.

"I'm sorry", the words slipped from Emma's lips before she could catch them.

The head on her shoulder lifted up, "For what?"

The sheriff sighed, "For being late."

Regina looked at Emma, "You are always late. Why are you sorry now?"

The blonde wished she had kept her mouth shut, but it was too late for that. She bit her bottom lip, "Because I should have been here."

The mayor never took her eyes from the blonde, "So you do think this is your fault? Okay, then tell me why were you late?"

Emma was confused for a second. "Because I had a lot of paperwork to do. But if I had done some of it every day, then I would've been done by Friday night to be on time."

Regina chuckled a little, which made the blonde think the mayor had lost it, "What is so funny?"

Regina let her laugh die out. "I made up half of those documents, just so you would have to do more work, and I could annoy you by riding your ass to get them in. So you see, it's my own fault that this happened."

Emma thought about it for a long moment and then said, "No, it's not your fault either. No one asks for something like this to happen to them, no one deserves for something like this to happen. I will find the piece of shit and he will answer for it, that I can assure you."

Regina wiped eyes with her hands, and gently pushed the blonde away, to indicate that she was ready to stand. The sheriff stood up, then offered her hand to assist the other woman. Reluctantly, the brunette accepted and climbed to her feet.

"What do you say we get you home?" Emma asked.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Regina went upstairs to take a shower. She hadn't slept at all since the attack. It wasn't that she was afraid of nightmares, yet she was afraid. Every time she closed her eyes, the scene replayed in her head. Now that she had seen the crime scene, the images were perfectly clear.

Henry didn't fuss over her much, which Regina was thankful for. Luckily, Emma had given Mary Margret and him a look that said not to ask why she had been crying, so they didn't. For the most part, Henry attempted to go about the house like he had before the incident. He went and snacked from the fridge, then went to his room to do finish his homework. The only difference this time was he acted like he was happy to be there with her.

Mary Margret had left after dropping Henry and Regina off. She said she would be back in a while with food for everyone from the diner. She had taken everyone's order and rushed out the door.

Having the shorter haired brunette doing things for her was a little strange.

The hot water rained down on Regina and she could feel the tension slowly loosening in her shoulders. The brunette closed her eyes to rinse the conditioner from her hair. The blood on her desk, popped into her mind. She could remember the feeling of the man behind her. His weight on her. His hand around the back of her neck holding her face to the cold marble.

The Queen shook her head, wanting to shake the thoughts. She reached and grabbed the body wash and squeezed a large amount onto her bath sponge. She had already washed her body, but now she felt dirty and disgusting all over again. She roughly scrubbed the sponge over all the skin from the neck down. It was now reddening from the brutal assault she was doing.

There was a knock on the door, "Regina, is everything okay?" At the sound of Emma's voice, she started to sob again, as she sank down to the shower floor.

The bathroom door handle clicked as the blonde opened it. Regina wanted to tell the sheriff to leave, but she couldn't through her tears. _Emma was devoted if nothing else_ , Regina thought.

The shower door opened, and the water turned off. The Mayor didn't even look up, but suddenly a soft towel was being wrapped around her. Her body lifted off the shower floor.

When she finally looked up, Emma had carried her into the bedroom and placed her on the bed. Regina was a little dumbfounded at the act. First of all, she would not have guessed that the blonde could carry her. Second, she didn't feel uncomfortable when she was with her. It was almost like the sheriff was supposed to be there.

It was a little awkward when Emma had begun drying her off. The blonde had pulled a set of red silk pajamas, and a pair of underwear out of the Mayor's dresser. It had surprised Regina that she had allowed the blonde to dress her. She wasn't sure if it was because she didn't care anymore or if it was because she trusted Emma.

After she was dressed, the blonde pulled the covers back on the bed. "Climb in. You need to get some rest before the Golds arrive tonight."

Regina nodded and climbed under the covers as instructed. She watched Emma as she tucked the covers around her body, almost in a maternal manner. The brunette found herself wondering if the blonde had been tucked in when she was in foster care. There was a small sting of guilt that hit the pit of the older woman's stomach. She knew the Emma probably hadn't been shown much love or kindness growing up.

The mayor's eyes were getting heavy, "Thank you", she said before succumbing to the weight of her eyelids. 

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The afternoon hours seemed to slip away rather quickly. Mary Margret brought dinner for them all. Regina reappeared downstairs as if nothing had ever happened, and joined the others to eat.

Emma watched the Mayor from across the table, as she laughed at something Henry was saying. It was a beautiful sound, and her face seemed to light up. The blonde didn't understand why the older woman went through all the trouble to be such a bitch most of the time.

The Sheriff glanced at the clock on the dining room wall and realized Belle and Gold would be there soon. She started to close her takeout Styrofoam container when her mother's voice said. "Emma, you didn't even touch your burger or your fries."

Emma opened the box grabbing a fry, before closing the container. She then popped it into her mouth and stood, "There I ate something", she said as she left the room. Her mother's and Regina's eyes followed.

The blonde had been trying to convince herself that Regina would be better when she had her magic back. She knew what it felt like to have her magic taken from her all at one time. She could only imagine how that felt to the Queen.

The doorbell rang pulling the sheriff from her thoughts. She walked to the door.

"Hey," Emma said when she saw Belles face, "Come on in."

Gold lingered on the steps for a moment as Regina had joined the sheriff. She eyed him with a look of annoyance, "Well, are you going to stand there all night or are you coming in?"

He gave a tight-lipped smile, "Regina, it's good to see you haven't lost any of your charm."

The Sheriff led them into the living room.

Emma could see the smiled that crossed the brunette's face as Gold passed her with his split lip.

It made her feel a little better about hitting him. The blonde didn't feel bad for punching him, but she did for doing it in front of his wife. She knew Gold deserved a good smack for one reason or another.

Everyone took a seat, except Gold, he chose to stand. Belle pulled the puzzle box from her purse, and Gold pulled a folded piece of paper from his jacket pocket.

The Aussie placed to box on the coffee table, which was in front of Emma and Regina who were seated on the sofa. Unfolding the paper, Gold said, "This spell needs white magic to open it, so that is why Emma is needed."

Regina raised an eyebrow, "I have some white magic, I could have done the spell myself."

For a moment the Sheriff didn't know rather she felt insulted by the statement or not. Gold continued, "You see, it is a special white magic that is needed."

Emma comments this time, "A special white magic? What does that mean? Like the Savior's white magic?"

Gold looked at his wife with a sly smile, "No Miss Swan. It's because Regina needs the white magic of her true love."

Both women looked at one another in shock. Henry stood up and yelled, "I knew it!"

His mother's looked at him confused then Regina turned back to the imp, "That's not possible, Robin is my true love."

Belle had been quiet, but then said, "No, true love pulls you together no matter what, and I don't see Robin anywhere."

Regina stood up and walked to the window. "How could Tinker Bell be wrong? She had fairy dust that confirmed it and the lion tattoo."

Emma was a bit dazed. She knew she had feelings for Regina and this uncontrollable urge to protect her. But never would she have thought she was the older woman's true love.

"Emma, show her," Snow said.

"The Sheriff looked up at her mother, "Show who what?"

"The tattoo on your hip," her mother pointed.

Henry looked at her with a grin, "You have a tattoo?"

Emma looked around the room and wasn't sure why they were all looking at her. She answered her son, "Yeah, I got one when I was 21."

Regina's arms were crossed over her chest, and she looked as though she were on the brink of tears. "Well, let's see it, Miss Swan."

Emma felt as though she was auditioning for a tampon commercial or something. She felt shy, but she unbuttoned her pants, pulling them down to the waistband of her underwear. The tattoo was a small tribal lion head.

Regina stared at it for a moment, and then let out a sigh, before turning back to the window.

Emma didn't know if the look on the mayor's face had been one of disappointment, but it clearly wasn't joy. She herself had no clue on what to think, so she said nothing as she refastened her jeans. The blonde plopped back down on the sofa.

Mary Margret was the next to speak, "How can they be sure?"

Gold passed the paper to Emma, "The savior needs to do the spell."

"I don't know if I can," The blonde spit out nervously.

Belle leaned forward and placed her hand on Emma's shoulder. "All you have to do is concentrate on what you want, and then say the spell in your head."

Emma looked up and saw that Regina was now looking at her, but there was no expression. The blonde scooted to the edge of the sofa so that she was closer to the puzzle box. "Okay, here it goes," the blonde closed her eyes. All she could see was Regina. It was weird. The brunette was very vivid in her mind as if she were standing right in front of her. She could feel her own magic flowing through her veins. The sensation could be compared to the feeling of warm sunshine on your face on a cool day, except this was in her soul. Emma began saying the words from the spell in her head, and as she did, her hands felt like static was building up on them. As soon as the last word from the paper was said, she opened her eyes.

The Sheriff's hand were glowing a bright white, and the box was jumping around on the table by itself. The light from Emma's hand crept over to the box causing it to suspend in the air about five feet. The gold designs that traced the dark box started to glow. The cube suddenly busted open and a heavy purple fog escaped. After a second of floated through the air, it surrounded the Mayor before it was absorbed into her body.

Regina looked at first as though she were in pain, but then after it was completely absorbed, she let out a happy sigh. She snapped her fingers and the signature fireball was ignited in her palm. She weaved her wrist and it disappeared again.

Emma was glad the spell worked. She normally screwed up on things like that. She wished she could have helped the Queen get her magic back sooner. The older woman would have been able to protect herself.

The blonde was shaken from the thought when Gold cleared his throat. Apparently, Regina too had been distracted, because her head shot up at the imp. "As I was saying, you need white magic from your true love for the spell to work." He smiled with pride to have been able to break the news to the two. The look on the Mayor's face was priceless.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Everyone had left around 10, and Regina was glad. She didn't like having that serpent Rumpelstiltskin in her home. She knew he never did anything without expecting something in return. Unfortunately, she would have done almost anything to have her magic restored. She felt so useless without it.

She decided to have some cider. So much had happened in the last 24 hours that she couldn't even think straight. She had tried to convince Emma that there was no need to stay, but of course, even Henry had disagreed with her.

As she finished the glass of cider, she decided she needed something stronger. Emma had gone upstairs to get ready for bed. Henry had shown her to the guess room. There had just been an over load of information for one evening.

 _How could Emma Swan be her true love?_ She couldn't even stand the blonde. Well, she couldn't stand her most of the time. She quickly finished the first glass of Scotch and poured another. The sheriff had horrible eating habits, and table manners. The blonde had a habit of poking her nose in places it didn't belong. She had habits that the brunette definitely did not want passed on to her son. The woman was downright infuriating.

Regina emptied the contents of the glass into her mouth and gulped it down, pouring another one. She was starting to feel the effects of the alcohol, as she crossed the floor and stood looking out the window. _Why is it that ever since she woke up in the hospital, she couldn't get the younger woman out of her mind?_ Emma was standing up to everyone in town for her. She remembered the feeling of being n the Sheriff's arms. She found that she had liked it. She finished the glass of liquor and refilled again. 

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Emma opened her eyes to something poking her in the arm, "Regina? Is everything okay?"

The mayor was hard to see at first in the darkened room until the blonde's eyes adjusted.

"You are always sticking your nose in other people's business", Regina said with a slight slur.

The strong smell of alcohol wafted into the sheriff's face as the older woman had spoken,"You're drunk."

Emma sat up and flicked on the night side table. The sudden burst of light caused both women to flinch. After her eyes adjusted the blonde noticed that the Queen had been crying.

"Why did you harass Robin at the diner? He's an honorable man, that's why he is with his family", Regina snapped.

Emma rubbed her eyes, "Honorable my ass. If he were your true love he would be by your side every minute of this. He would be trying his hardest to catch the fucker that did this."

"It's not your business. He has his reasons, and he did come by and see me, and call", Regina said as her eyes filled with tears.

"I've been there, Regina, from the start. So it is my business when the people I lo... Care about are hurting both physically and emotionally." She almost had a slip of the tongue, but she continued. " He didn't even act like he gave a shit, just laughing with them and eating like nothing ever happened. I haven't been able to eat without the feeling of being sick. I would do anything to protect you and Henry. What has he proven," Emma was standing now, pinching the bridge of her nose?

"Why", came the quiet but simple reply?

"Because", was all the blonde could say.

Regina looked at the blonde then narrowed her eyes. "I ask you why you would do anything for Henry and I, and you only say because? What the hell does that mean? At least Robin said the facts. He told me the truth about how he had to choose his wife. He never talked in riddles."

Emma glared at the older woman. She had just compared her to Robin Hood. "You want to know why I would do anything for you and Henry?" She watched as the mayor nodded waiting on the explanation, "Because I love you both, okay? Are you happy now?"

The mayor said nothing. She only stared at Emma, as if she was shocked. Tears streamed down her cheeks.

Emma continued, "I would do anything for you or Henry. When I found you, I was so mad at myself, because I had failed to protect you. I know Mary Margret told you about my actions with a few people today, and the truth is, I am not sorry. Every one of those bastards had it coming, and in several cases, I wish I would have done more to them."

Regina wiped the tears away, "I have never had someone stand up for me like you did. Well not without me taking their heart first."

The sheriff's heart was beating out of her chest. She almost couldn't believe she had just admitted that she love Regina Mills. Especially to Regina Mills. The mayor was probably thinking she was an idiot or worse. "Look Regina, I know you and I aren't exactly friends, and I don't expect you to return my feelings. But I'm not leaving until I know you're safe." Emma paused for a moment, and when the brunette said nothing, she went on. "I know you are probably disgusted, knowing this now, and I'm sorry for that. You can even yell at me if you want, or we can pretend this conversation never happened, but I will not fail you again."

Regina wiped the remaining tears from her face, and then took a deep breath", It... Is time for me to go to bed."

Emma watched the mayor stand and she ran her hands over her pajamas as if she were straightening them out. She refused to make eye contact. She called over her shoulder as she walked out of the room, "Goodnight Miss. Swan."

The sheriff sat back down on the bed, and blew out a puff of air, "So, we are back to Miss. Swan. God, I am so stupid," she said out loud. 

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Regina opened her eyes. She was quick to close them again as the sunlight from the window was attempting to split her brain open. Suddenly the memory of the scotch she had drunk came rushing back. _Why had she drunk that many glasses?_

She stumbled out of bed and headed for her bathroom. Digging through the medicine cabinet she found the aspirin and took two.

The mayor placed her palms on the edge of the sink and then leaned forward with her head down. She knew she needed to pull herself together before she went down stairs. It was Sunday, and she usually made pancake for Henry.

There was the sudden smell of bacon creeping into her bathroom. Someone was downstairs cooking. Please don't let it be Emma, she thought to herself. Not only would the woman destroy her kitchen, but as far as the brunette knew, she couldn't cook.

Her memories of the last night's conversation with the blonde came flooding back. _Had she remembered correctly? Did the sheriff say she loved her?_ The mayor placed her hand over her face so she could rub her temples.

 _How could the sheriff be in love with her?_ She had done nothing but be a bitch to her. There were moments where she was somewhat friendly, but it was few and far between. She thought that the blonde was in love with the greasy pirate.

Regina turned on the shower and undressed. She really hoped she didn't have another day like she did yesterday when Emma had come and got her out of the shower. After hearing the confession last night, she blushed at the thought of Emma having seen her naked.

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It was a bit chilly this morning. Emma thought as she sipped her coffee. Mary Margret swung by to make breakfast for everyone. She decided to come outside and sit on the bench in Regina's garden and enjoy the peace. She stared over at the apple tree that she had hacked with the chainsaw. It appeared to be doing very well. She was happy about that.

"Please do not tell me you are planning on doing anything else to my tree." Regina's voice approached from behind her.

Emma didn't turn around, she laughed. "No, I was actually just thinking of some of our first meetings together."

The mayor came around the side of the blonde and sat next to her on the bench, "Yes, what fond memories to recollect."

The smell of apples filled the sheriff's nostrils as she glances at Regina. She could see she had recently showered. The brunette was intoxicating but equally infuriating.

"It's probably not a good idea to be out here in this chilly air with your hair wet", Emma said before taking a sip from her cup.

Regina turned and looked at her, "What are you, my mother now? I do not recall asking your permission."

Emma put one hand up in surrender but kept her smile. "Sorry, wasn't trying to be your mother, just expressing my concern."

Regina rolled her eyes, "Speaking of mothers, why is yours here?"

"She came by to make breakfast for everyone", Emma said.

"She is going to mess up my kitchen, and Henry likes blueberries in his pancakes", Regina said with panic.

Emma reached over and placed her hand on the Mayor's, "It's okay Regina. Henry will be taken care of, and I know that Mary Margret is a neat freak in the kitchen. Besides that, if there was anything you didn't like after she's done, then I'll clean it."

"Why do you keep doing that," Regina asked.

Emma looked at her confused, "Doing what?"

"Acting like you care so damned much. You just want me broken so you can take Henry from me," Regina rubbed at her temples.

Emma stood up, "What the hell is wrong with you? And I do care about you." The Sheriff started to storm off but then turned. "You should know me well enough to know I wouldn't take Henry from you. You know, I don't get you. One minute you're a raving bitch, then next you actually act like a person. Now your back to being a bitch." The blonde threw the rest of her coffee out in the grass and stormed back inside the house.

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Regina stood up walked over to her apple tree. _What the hell is wrong with me_ , she thought. For someone who was well known for her words, she was sure making a mess of them now.

She leaned her back against the tree and sighed. Emma has done nothing but be nice to her, and again she was acting ungrateful.

She knew she had feelings for the Sheriff, but she refused to think about them. Emma was the daughter or her enemy, not to mention her enemy was her ex-stepdaughter. _Why are things so complicated?_ _Now she was supposed to believe that Emma was her true love?_ _Why couldn't fate mind her own damned business?_ She didn't ask for her help. She hasn't asked for anyone's help.

"Mom! Breakfast is ready", Henry called from the doorway.

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Emma went straight upstairs after her little tiff with Regina. She needed to shower and get ready to go to the station any ways.

The Mayor did nothing but confuse her. She's had feelings for Regina for years. Probably even before she realized it. Now, she tells the brunette how she feels, and still, she gets mixed emotions.

Ever since Gold told them that they were true loves, all she could think about is if it is true. She was very surprised that Mary Margret took the news as well as she did. She figured she would find out how David took it when she gets to the station.

Sliding on her leather jacket, she headed for the kitchen. Part of Emma wanted this case to be over and everything to go back to norma. Then she could just go back to the loft and forget this ever happened, but the other part wanted Regina to love her back.

As she rounds the corner and entered the kitchen, Mary Margret was standing at the sink washing dishes. Henry and Regina sat at the kitchen table eating. Well, the mayor looked more like she was playing with her food and in deep thought.

"I'm heading to the station, but I will be back later. I think we need to keep it between us, that Regina has her magic back, I don't want the perp. to know," she said turning to walk away.

Mary Margret spun around, "Wait, you didn't eat your breakfast."

Emma glanced at the plate of food on the table and then made eye contact with Regina. "I'm not hungry right now, I'll grab something from the diner later. Later kid", she waved to Henry.

Henry nodded his head in her direction as he watched her disappear around the corner.

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Emma was deep in thought as she entered the station. She wondered if she would have ever told Regina about her feelings if the attack hadn't happened. Probably not. She wouldn't have been in a position to tell her.

"Hey sweetie, did you get any sleep last night," David's voice pulled her into the present.

"Not really, but some is better than none," she smiled.

Her father sat at his desk, filling out paperwork. She could hear loud snoring coming from the cells. Looking up she could see Will was asleep. The annoyed expression on Hook's face meant that Will had snored the entire night. "I'm sure you got better sleep than some of us, love."

Emma ignored the pirate and instead spoke to her father, "So did we get any new leads?"

"Nope," he said.

Her phone vibrated in her pocket. She pulled it out and looked down. It was text from her mother, ' _I need to run some errands today, and Henry wants to join. Regina said she'll be fine here for a couple of hours.'_

Emma hated the idea of leaving Regina alone, but she couldn't make people stay with her or make Regina let them. She texts back, _'That's fine, I'll swing by there in a little bit to check on her.'_

She started to relay the message to David when her phone started ringing, "Yeah?"

"Hey Sheriff, I got those results for you", Gordon said a bit too cocky for Emma's taste.

"What the hell took you so long," she snapped?

Gordon paused for a second. "Do you realize the process it takes to run DNA and compare it with the entire population?"

The fax machine lit up and started printing something.

"So whose is it", the blonde asked?

He answered at the same time she collected the papers from the machine, "I'm faxing you the roster. There were no matches."

"What? How can that be Gordon," a surprised expression plastered her face?

"I don't know Sheriff. All I know is that everyone on the roster I sent you was compared and none of them matched," Gordon said.

Emma closed her eyes in disbelieve. _What was she supposed to do now?_ She had nothing, and no one new had entered this town in a very long time.

"Thanks, Gordon," she said before hanging up.

She fell into her chair, as she read the list.

"What does it say, love," the pirate called from across the room.

The blonde never looked up, "It says you nor Will, assaulted her."

Will had awoken at some point unnoticed, "Woohoo," he cheered.

Emma glanced up and glared at him, "Who were you planning to sell the magic essence to Will?"

He ran his hand through his short hair, "Umm that would have to depend on who was going to pay me more."

"Just tell me the names of those who offered you money for Regina's magic." She stood walking towards the cell with the roster still in her hand.

"Well, let's see, there was old Albert Spencer," Will said scratching his head.

Emma scanned the roster for his name. He was also known as King George, "Nope, he's on the list", she said looking back at Will, "Who else?"

The annoying man continued to scratch his head, "I know there were three potential buyers."

Emma was losing her patience, "Damn it, who else?"

"There was Sidney Glass", He said putting his finger in the air.

The sheriff quickly scanned the roster. For a second she was suspecting him because of what he had said at the diner, but then, "Nope, he's here too."

"There is one more, but I can't tell you who it is", Will said.

Emma came closer to the cell, "Excuse me? Tell me their name Will Scarlet, or so help me."

"You can do whatever you want to me, but I can't tell you," he cut her off.

"Why you no good little shit," she hissed reaching for her keys. David blocked her way to the cell door, "Emma honey, this isn't going to solve anything."

"No, but I will sure as hell feel better," she said, trying to push passed her father.

"What's going on," Henry asked coming around the corner, followed by his grandmother?

The sheriff's head shot up as she noticed her son. The good news was it took her mind off of her wanting to beat the hell out of Will.

"This gentleman here," Hook said pointing to Will in the next cell. "Was about to tell our Sheriff who hurt your mum, but now he's had a change of heart."

"What?" Henry asked as he came closer to his birth mother.

Will glared over at Hook, "Well, you see, it's a bit more complicated than that."

Henry's eyes narrowed, "If you know who did this to my mom, then tell us. There is nothing complicated about that."

"I gave my word, so I'm sorry, but I can't," Will said as he sat back on his cot.

Henry walked over to his mother's desk and sat down. Emma was pacing in front of the cells. _Why wouldn't he tell her, it could be the guy that hurt Regina?_ "Goddamn it Scarlet, your friend that you are trying to protect, doesn't give a shit about you. He is out there while you are in here."

Henry jumped up from behind the desk, "His friend!"

Emma spun on her heel to look at her son, "Yeah, so?"

"No, no, no. He said he gave his word. There's only one person he has been faithful to. Well, besides the Red Queen," the teen said, "That's the one and only, Robin Hood."

Emma turned towards Will's cell. He was looking at them with wide eyes.

"It was him, wasn't it," the blonde asked?

The man said nothing, but he didn't have too because his eyes told it all. Emma quickly scanned the roster, then a second time, then a third, "He's not on the list."

Mary Margret gasped, throwing her hand over her mouth. Henry had a similar look on his face.

"What?" Emma asked.

"When we were getting ready to leave, Regina got a call from him. He asked if he could come over and talk," the shorter haired brunette explained.

Emma didn't hesitate. She swiped her key off the desk and ran out the door. The yellow bug squealed tires as it pulled out of the parking lot.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

Luckily for Regina, her hangover had only been mild. She only had a slight headache now, but she did take another dose of aspirin in hopes it would go away soon.

After Robin had called and said he would be over soon, she almost regretted agreeing to meet with him. She had been playing all the things Emma had said the night before over and over in her mind. For the most part, she did agree with the blonde.

Why did it always seem so much simpler in the Enchanted Forest? No, she didn't have an ideal life, but it was how things went. Good versus evil, she had been chasing the idea of making Snow White's life hell for so long, that she never really stopped to see things as they really were. Yes, the overly optimistic shorter haired brunette had gotten her first love killed, and made her kill her own mother, but she could see things a little differently now. People in the Enchanted Forest feared her, and if she had needs, even sexual needs, she made people fulfill those needs.

Who was she kidding? She wanted that one person that was not afraid of her and still loved her after knowing all the things she had done. She wanted them to love her of their own free will, not because she forced them to or used magic to get it. For once, she wanted to be completely happy.

Regina Mills was promised her happy ending and was deemed no longer an evil villain by the Charmings, well, by Mary Margret and the sheriff at least, and of course her son. The Queen's only trouble now was choosing which path was her happy ending. Was her path the one that Tinker Bell had claimed so many years ago, or was it the annoying, yet very attractive Emma Swan?

A knock at the front door drew her attention. She walked from the kitchen to the front door and then opened it. Robin stood there holding a bouquet of violets, which she was sure he picked from somewhere nearby.

"Robin", Regina greeted with a nod.

"Hey, how are you? I brought these for you", the thief smiled holding out the bouquet.

The brunette smiled back taking the flowers, "Thank you, they are very lovely", Regina opened the door wider to allow the man to enter.

As he passed her, she could smell alcohol, "Let me get a vase to put these in", she said as she headed towards the kitchen. He followed.

The alcohol she smelled on him was sweeter than the scotch she drank last night, but there was something familiar about the scent all the same. The Queen said nothing as she opened a cabinet and grabbed a vase.

"Roland is doing well. We enrolled him in school so that he could be around children his own age. I knew that was something that was important to you", He said nervously.

After she had filled the vase, Regina turned to the counter to put the flowers into the water and smiled, "That is very good to hear, Robin. How is Marion?"

Robin rubbed the back of his neck, "I didn't really come here to discuss my wife."

"No? Then why are you here?" She asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I miss you, Regina." He said stepping closer to her.

Just before he reached her, she stuck her hand out to stop him, "Don't."

"Don't what? Can't I show my true love how much I miss her", He said with glassed over eyes.

"Oh no, you do not get to pull that card with me. You chose your wife, so go be with her", Regina said getting aggravated.

Robin stepped into her space grabbing her by the upper arms, "I love you, Regina."

He leaned in and pressed his lips to hers, but she pushed him back, "No damn it. I'm not going to be your mistress. So you have a fight with your wife and decide to come crawling to me because she won't give it up", the mayor's heart was beginning to pound, and fear was creeping up on her, "I am not some whore, Robin."

His grip on her arms grew tighter, "I told you I didn't want to talk about my wife."

Regina swallowed the lump that was in her throat, "I think it is time for you to leave."

Robin started taking steps forward, pushing Regina as he went, until her back bumped up to the refrigerator. He shoved his mouth back onto hers, his unshaven face now course and rough against her skin. The thief lowered one hand and started to roughly kneaded her left breast in a painful manner.

"Robin…please", Regina tried to get out as she fought against his mouth.

The archer's left hand quickly moved to her throat, "See Regina, I can make you feel loved. I am the only person who loves you."

A tear slipped from the Queen's eye, as the thief's other hand was now sliding closer to her crotch, "Stop… Get away from me", she managed to croak out.

The mayor's words must have angered him, because the hand that had been feeling on her came crashing into her cheek, causing Regina to see stars.

Robin pulled the Queen to the side by her throat and threw her into the island, "You think you are too good for me now," the queen now bent over the island, he grabbed the waistband of her silk pajamas and started yanking them down, "You are going to take what I give and like it."

Regina could do nothing but cry. Why couldn't she do anything? She was scared and the fear was controlling her.

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The yellow bug came to a sliding halt as she drove over the curb and into the grass. She jumped from the car, leaving the door wide open, and then ran for the house. No clear thoughts were in her head but those of hurting Robin Hood.

She opened the front door and could instantly hear the commotion in the kitchen. As she rounded the corner she could she Regina bent over the island with Robin behind her, attempting to pull her pants off.

Anger radiated inside Emma as she ran towards the thief, tackling him to the floor, "You son of a bitch", she said right before they collided.

She punched him in the face a couple of times, but he was a large man. He grabbed her flipping them over then throwing his fist into her ribs, causing her grunt. Her adrenaline was pumping and she wasn't giving up that easily.

Robin tried to position himself over Emma, but she raised her right leg hard, causing it to connect with his aroused sex. He grabbed his crotch and as his face turned red and his veins started to swell in his neck he said, "You fucking bitch."

The sheriff thought that a hit like that should have kept the man out of commission at least for a few minutes, but he quickly gained a second wind. He grabbed the blonde by the throat and lifted them both off the floor. With his other hand, he punched her hard in the face.

Emma didn't know what was worse, the hit or the fact that she was about to pass out from the lack of oxygen from being choked.

Regina yelled, "Get the fuck off her".

The brunette jumped onto the man's back and he released the blonde. Emma crumpled to the floor as she coughed and tried to breathe again. She looked up in time to see Robing throw Regina into the cabinets with a loud thud. Regina seemed to be unconscious.

"Stupid bitch", he said walking towards Regina.

Suddenly Sirens were outside the house. Robin looked up, and at the sheriff, "This isn't over Swan."

She threw head up, but was unable to get up and glared, "Oh you can bet your blue balls it's not."

He ran out the kitchen door as David ran in. Emma pointed, "He went that way."

Her father took off out the door with his gun drawn.

Emma crawled the distance across the kitchen to get to the Mayor, "Regina?"

She moaned and then opened her eyes, "Did you get him?"

The guilt returned along with her own disappointment, "No, but David went after him."

Mary Margret rushed in followed by Henry. She saw the two women on the floor, "Oh my God, are you two all right?"

Emma nodded, and then looked at Regina, "Are you okay?"

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David had been unable to catch Robin. He said he had run into the woods and disappeared. Even Regina could see it was eating him up as he looked at the two women's freshly bruised faces.

Regina felt as though she were in a trance. She had just found out that Robin, not only beat and raped her but attempted to do it again. She glanced around the room looking at the faces. First, there was Mary Margret who looked so worried that she could start crying at any minute. Her son's face was sad; she knew he probably felt as helpless as her at this moment.

David's face looked determined. She knew the two of them did not have the best relationship, but he was an ideal knight in shining armor, he would defend the world against the wicked and right all wrongs. Regina almost laughed out loud at the thought but was able to keep it held back. She really was grateful for him.  
Then she looked at Emma's face. The green eyes sparkled as the other woman's father spoke to her of their next plan of action. She didn't look mad, or upset she looked as determined as her father, but when those same green eyes glanced up to meet the chocolate one's, there was a softness and understanding that took the mayor's breath away.

"Is that all right with you", Emma asked looking at Regina.

She hadn't realized that anyone had been speaking to her "Is what all right with me?"

Emma glanced over at David with concern then back to Regina, "We're thinking it would be safer for you, Henry and me to stay with my parents."

Regina just stared back at the blonde, so Emma explained, "If we are all over there, then we will have plenty of people to keep watch."

"But isn't there more room here", Regina said looking over at David, "I mean it would make more logical sense for you, Snow and the baby to come here."

Emma reached her hand across the table and took the mayors, "It is bigger, but there are too many blind spots here, plus their place is right in town."

Regina wanted to argue, she wanted to tell them all that this was a stupid idea and that she refused to leave her house, but she was scared. She had her magic back and still did not use it. She was not even sure why, but she had not even thought about it during the ordeal.

The Queen nodded, "All right."

Mary Margret took Regina upstairs to help her get some stuff together. The mayor felt numb, how could she not have known about Robin before this. How could she not tell he was scum? The older woman guessed that she so badly wanted someone to love her, that she stopped looking for the bad in him. He was a very good actor though.

Mary Margret grabbed the same flowery bag that Emma had brought to the hospital, as they entered the bedroom and sat it on the bed, "What would you like to start with?"

Regina suddenly started crying and she plopped down onto the bed next to the bag.

Her ex-stepdaughter rushed to her and wrapped her arms around her, "It will be okay."

The Queen said nothing, but she allowed the shorter haired brunette to hold her and gently rub her back.

After a few minutes, Regina spoke, "I'm sorry."

Mary Margret loosened her grip and looked up at the mayor, "For what? You didn't do anything."

The queen chuckled, "I'm not talking about Robin. I mean for everything else. What I did in the Enchanted forest and everything I have done here. Most of all, I'm so sorry for taking Emma from you."

Regina began to sob and Snow tightens her hug once more, "I forgave you a long time ago, and we chose to put her in that wardrobe, not you. I blamed you for a while, but then I realized, it's not as though we lived knowing our daughter was out there. We had no memories of her at all. That was the true gift because when the curse broke and we regained our memories, she was back with us. Besides, if we would not have placed Emma inside that wardrobe, there would be no Henry."

The mayor had stopped sobbing and her tears had slowed, "Thank you."

The women said nothing else as they got up and continued gathering Regina's belongings. Regina would always think that Mary Margret was annoying with her optimism and overly sweet nature, but after today, she had a new found respect for her. Not just today, because she had not forgotten the woman coming to the hospital, but after their talk, she could say she saw her ex-stepdaughter in a new light. She may never admit it out loud, but she may even say she loved her.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

"We are not sharing a bed, Miss. Swan," Regina said as she stood in Emma small bedroom, looking at the futon.

"Calm down, your Majesty, we are only sharing the room. I will sleep on the floor," the Sheriff deadpanned.

Emma wanted nothing more than to drop the bags she was holding and sit down. Her eye and lip were killing her. She knew the Mayor had been through a lot today. But the blonde couldn't deal with another bipolar episode, one had been her limit for the day. They hadn't even talked about the events of the afternoon and an argument was the last thing she wanted.

Regina walked further into the bedroom and sat her bathroom bag down on the bed. Emma walked passed her and placed the queen's two suitcases down. The queen had a third that David was bringing in. She wanted to make sure that she brought her own sheets and pillows. Everyone had only looked at one another with the Mayor's demands, but no one argued.

Emma pulled all her things from two drawers of her dresser and started hanging them in the closet. "You can have these two drawers if you'd like."

"Thank you", Regina said as she started opening up her suitcases.

As the Sheriff put her clothes onto empty hangers, she asked, "What happened with Robin before I got there?"

"Turns out you were right about him," Regina said trying to hide the sadness in her voice. "He had the nerve to tell me he was the only one who would ever love me".

"But you don't believe him, right?" Emma asked as she hung an article of clothing on the closet rod.

Regina took a stack of clothes she had folded over to the dresser, "I don't know what to believe anymore."

The blonde hung the last shirt up and turned to speak but was cut off by the mayor, "How did you know that was Robin was the one?" She continued taking clothes from her suitcase to the dresser.

"It was Henry, actually," Emma saw the mayor's look of surprise. "Well, the lab called and said there was no DNA match with anyone on the town roster. I asked Will Scarlet who he was trying to sell your magic to. He said it was one of three gentlemen and he gave me two of the names. Both were on the roster. The third name he refused to give due to some honor code, but Henry figured it out really quick. I guess our son is the hero today."

Regina slid the drawer closed, "As were you."

"I didn't do anything but get my ass kicked, and I let him get away," Emma said with a sigh.

"Emma, if you hadn't shown up when you did, he would have..." The brunette's voice cracked so she stopped.

Emma walked closer to the mayor, "I know. I 'm just sorry I didn't do more."

"Here is your other suitcase Madam Mayor," David huffed out, "What do you have in this thing?"

Noticing his daughter and the former Evil Queen's expressions, he realized he'd interrupted. "Anyways, here it is and I'll see you two at dinner."

The two women said nothing as David left. It was a very sensitive conversation that could go south fast, and Emma didn't want to push it.

The Sheriff grabbed the other suitcase and she asked, "Where do you want this one?" She lifted it up, "Holy shit, Regina, what's in here?"

The Mayor looked at her and smiled. "Only the finest cotton linen is known to man, including pillowcases. As well as my favorite comforter."

Emma chuckled to herself as she shook her head, "Only the best for you, your Majesty."

"If I am going to be staying here, of all places, then I will at least be comfortable," Regina said.

"You can take the Queen out of the castle, but you can't take the castle out of the Queen, huh?" Emma asked rhetorically.

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Dinner was going well. It had been a little awkward at first, but after a few minutes of silence, Henry spoke up. "I know this is a touchy subject, but can someone please tell me what happened at the house?"

To everyone's surprise, Regina said, "Well, you are a very smart boy, and you were right about Robin."

Henry looked straight into Regina's eyes, "I know I'm your kid, but please stop treating me like I'm a toddler."

"Henry!" Emma scolded

"No, he's right," the Mayor said, keeping her eyes on her son's, "Robin came to our house drunk, hoping I would accept him back. When I didn't he hit me, and tried to rape me."

Everyone at the table was dead silent. Mary Margret had closed her eyes, trying to get the image out of her mind. When everyone thought that the conversation was over, she continued, "Anyways, Miss. Swan ran in and tackled him like one of those football players you like to watch." She smiled at her son, trying to lighten the mood. "She started hitting him, but of course he is not a small man, so he hit her back, but that didn't stop our Sheriff. She then kneed him in the family jewels."

"I bet he didn't like that", Henry grinned.

Regina chuckled, "No he didn't, but to both of our surprises he recovered quickly and decided to hit and choke her."

Emma smiled when her eyes met Regina's. "Then your mom decides it's her turn to get some licks in, so she jumps on his back and got him off me."

"Yeah, but I was no match, he threw me across the room pretty quickly. He told Emma that this wasn't over, so she told him she bet his blue balls this wasn't over."

Laughter erupted from the table. Emma was a bit shocked that the brunette told Henry everything. Regina had always been full of surprises and though not all of them good, many were. She was glad that the Mayor told Henry. He was right, he wasn't a little kid anymore. Even though he was still their kid, he was getting older and deserved to know the truth no matter how ugly it was. The world was not a fairy tale book written in black and white, but one filled with many shades between.

"Dinner was delicious, Snow," Regina beamed at the shorter haired brunette.

For a second, Mary Margret looked as though she might cry, "Why, thank you."

David and Emma shared glances at the weird friendliness between the other two women. After a second, Emma just shrugged at him.

"Can I go watch some TV before bed," Henry asked.

Regina started to answer, but Emma replied first, "Did you finish your homework?"

"But it's Sunday," Henry said.

"And tomorrow is Monday, which means you have school. So if you have any homework that you didn't complete Friday night, then you need to finish it now," Emma gave him the look.

"You know, I liked it better when you were the fun mom," He said, excusing himself from the table as he pouted his way to his room.

Emma shot back, "Hey, I'm still the fun one."

Once Henry had disappeared, Regina laughed, "And how did it feel to be responsible, Miss. Swan?"

"Horrible, I don't know how you live like this," the blonde said sarcastically.

The table erupted with laughter again.

Mary Margret stood and began clearing the dishes. Regina started to help, but the shorter haired brunette waved her hand, "No, No, you are a guest, Emma will help."

"Yep, responsibility sucks ass," Emma said standing to assist her mother.

"Oh yeah, Em, I meant to tell you, Leroy and a couple of dwarves helped out with the roof decking," David said.

"Awesome. I have been dying to hang out up there", Emma smiled as she grabbed the last of the plates from the table.

"Roof deck?" Regina asked.

"Yeah, it's like a patio on your roof", He explained, "Here, follow me, and I'll show you."

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Regina was amazed at the concept. It was ingenious of someone to utilize space in this manner. In a way, castles had similar concepts.

The air was very chilly, but she had put on a large button up sweater. The Mayor followed David to the edge where a three-foot brick wall stood. Glancing around she realized she could see the whole town. It wasn't her first choice of scenery, but it wasn't that bad of one either.

"What's going on between you and Emma?" David asked, still staring out over the town.

Regina was a little taken aback, "Excuse me?"

"Just tell me, Regina. Is there something going on?" He asked turning towards her.

"I do not think it is any of you concern," the brunette snapped.

"I'm just worried about her. She hasn't been herself since I need to know if she is okay," He said.

"Let me guess, it's my fault? I guess this is the part where you tell me to leave your daughter alone, and threaten me?" Regina asked, clenching her teeth together.

David looked Regina in the eye, "No. This is where I tell you that my daughter is head over heels for you. This is where I tell you that all I want is for my daughter to be happy, even if it's with you." He turned to walk away. "I know you and I have never seen eye to eye, but I would never blame you for what that piece of shit did to you. I only meant that Emma is so dedicated to you, that she has stopped taking care of herself. If you care for her at all, you will talk to her, at least about eating and sleeping." He looked down, then headed for the door.

When the door shut, Regina let out the breath. Did Prince Charming give her permission to be with his daughter? A tear escaped and rolled down her cheek. What was she supposed to do, run into Emma Swan's arms and go off into the sunset? She laughed at the thought. Even she knew the fairy tale books her son loved so much were only a small portion of the truth. Life was not now nor would it ever be that simple. She wiped the tear away with the back of her hand.

Emma told her that they could pretend the conversation between them never happened. That's what she had been trying to do. This was a lot to focus on and right now. She didn't want to focus on anything. Nothing good ever came from the Queen falling in love or for someone loving her in return.

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Emma gave Regina her space for the rest of the evening. She figured when David had come back from the roof without the Queen. They must have had a disagreement because her father seemed sad when he returned.

The blonde had started to ask him about it, but then stopped herself. No matter how much she wanted to know, she didn't have the energy for it. Regina didn't come down for about an hour or so. At one point the Sheriff had started to go check on her. She stopped herself when she thought of what the Mayor might say.

They all called it a night. Everyone had been on this emotional roller coaster too, so she was sure they were all tired. Emma and Regina said nothing to one another after the Queen returned from the roof.

Emma awoke to the sound of sobbing. She rubbed her eyes, and glanced around the room, forgetting for a moment where she was. Once her eyes adjusted, it dawned on her that the only person that could be crying was the Mayor.

Sitting up, the blonde called out, "Regina?"

She could hear the other woman sniffle then reply, "Go back to sleep Miss. Swan, I'm fine."

Clearly, she was not or she wouldn't be crying. Getting up, the Sheriff walked closer to the bed, "Talk to me, Regina."

The brunette sat in the bed with her knees to her chest, "I said I was fine."

Emma sighed and sat on the edge of the bed, "No you're not, and before you say that it is not any of my business, it is."

Regina didn't respond, she just began to sob again. Emma's eyes had adjusted well to the town's lights that beamed in through the window. She could see the shattered expression the older woman had on her face and the fear in her eyes.

The Sheriff crawled up onto the bed and over to where the brunette sat. The Mayor raised her head as Emma pulled her into her arms. The blonde didn't say anything. She just held her tightly and rocked.

Emma was surprised when the mayor hugged her back. Before too long, the blonde had been able to lower them both down on the bed. The Sheriff was the big spoon while she continued to hold Regina. After a while, the sobbing stopped. The Sheriff assumed the brunette had fallen asleep.

"What are we doing," came a low hoarse voice from in front of her.

"I'm showing you that you're not alone."

"No, I mean what is happening between us," Regina asked. Her fingertips began drawing circular patterns on the blonde's forearm.

Emma wasn't sure how to answer. She knew how she felt, but she had no clue of how the other woman feelings, "I don't know."

Regina spoke again, ignoring what the other woman had said, "You do know it doesn't end well for anyone who falls for me. I am unlucky in love. I hurt anyone who gets close to me."

Emma sat up, letting the brunette fall onto her back. "Look, you were dealt a shit hand in this card game of life. You have to stop blaming yourself for Daniel, and for what Robin did. No matter what my feelings are for you, I will help you find whatever happy ending you want."

"What about you?" The older woman asked as she gazed into the emerald eyes that stared back at her.

"This isn't about me, it's about you and making sure you're happy", Emma said without flinching.

Regina sat up, without breaking eye contact, "You would do that for me?"

Emma swallowed a lump that was forming in her throat. Fear was creeping up in her chest, but she stayed her course, "If it meant your happiness than yes."

The blonde'ss head was spinning, and she wanted to run. She couldn't take this feeling anymore. She was tired of loving people who didn't love her back. What was wrong with her? If hero's got all the rewards, then where was her reward? Sure she had her son, but he was still only part-time. Her parents missed her so much they decided to have another baby.

"What if he comes back?" Regina asked, pulling Emma from her panicked thoughts.

"We'll be ready for him," the blonde answered nonchalantly.

Regina's eyes filled with tears, "Emma, I couldn't even protect myself today. I couldn't channel my rage because I was too scared. Imagine that, I have only feared one person in my entire life, and that was my mother."

Emma reached up and cupped the side of the brunette's cheek, "Hey, it happens to the best of us. Fear is a human emotion. You are human Regina. Besides that, he took you by surprise, but you know who it is, you will be ready for him next time, I know you will."

"My mother always told me fear and love were weaknesses", the Mayor said in a low tone.

Emma narrowed her eyes but kept her hand on the other woman's face. "You do realize this came from a woman who ripped out her own heart in order not to feel? Right? Those are not weaknesses. They are what help remind us that we are still alive. When there is no more love or fear in a person's heart, then what are they living for?"

Regina just stared at her, "But with fear you never accomplish anything."

Emma laughed, "That's where you're wrong. When there is something you're afraid of, it is normal to feel fear. You have to push your courage up to defeat the fear. How do you think some people have adrenaline rushes?"

"What are you afraid?" The brunette asked.

"You", Emma whispered, releasing her hand and letting it fall down to her side.

Regina raised an eyebrow, "Me? Why are you afraid of me? Have I not shown you that I am no longer evil?"

"That's not what I mean. I was afraid to tell you how I felt. I am afraid that you don't feel the same way about me. I am afraid I will have to watch you find happiness with someone else," the Sheriff blurted.

The Mayor leaned forward and pressed her lips to Emma's. She placed her hands on either side of the blonde's face pulling her closer as Emma's slid up to rest on her hips.

Regina parted her lips letting her tongue explore the blondes willing mouth. Emma pulled the other woman's hips into hers, causing a slight gasp to escape the Mayor's throat. The brunette let her hands find the golden locks of the sheriff's head and pulled her tighter to her mouth.

Emma slowly slid her hand up the edge of the mayor's shirt. Her fingertips grazed the warm soft skin there and moaned into the mayor's mouth. She made it up the brunette's side when she felt the other woman tense, and the kiss had stopped.

The Sheriff pulled back and saw the panic in the brown eyes, "Did I do something wrong?"

The mayor gently pulled the blonde's hand out from under her shirt. She brought it to her mouth where she placed a soft kiss on her palm, "I'm sorry, I can't do this. I'm not ready. I don't feel clean right now, and I know that sounds stupid, but"

Emma put her fingers to the mayor's lips to stop her from continuing, "Hey, you don't need to explain, I get it. I was moving too fast anyway."

Regina pulled the younger woman's hand down, "That's not it Emma. You didn't move too fast, I'm just not ready tonight, okay."

Emma nodded and kissed the Queen on the forehead. "We should really get some sleep anyways." The blonde started moving to go back to her pallet on the floor.

"Where are you going?" The brunette asked as she grabbed the other woman's arm.

Emma looked up, "To my bed on the floor."

Regina looked frightened, "Will you stay here with me, I don't want to be alone, and I want to be next to you."

Emma smiled, "Of course."

They climbed under the covers, Emma on her back and Regina lay nuzzled up to the blonde's neck. The Sheriff had her arm around the Mayor's back. Within a short few minute, the two were fast asleep.


	11. Chapter 11

Emma sat across the booth from David. The diner was fairly busy, but it was lunchtime and they decided to drop in for a quick bite. The pair ordered and now were waiting for their food.

Emma could see her father staring at her out of the corner of her eye, "What?"

"Did you sleep well last night?" David asked with a slight smile.

Emma eyed him suspiciously, "I slept fine, why are you asking?"

"You look like you slept well. It's a good thing, Emma," he said. "Did Regina talk to you?"

The blonde took a sip from her straw, "Sort of Why are we playing twenty questions?"

"Because I am your father, and I've been worried about you," he looked out the window.

"I'm fine, dad. I have my own issues to work through as does Re... other people," Emma stumbled over her words but smiled back.

David just nodded but said nothing else on the topic. She knew he was fishing for information. She wanted to confide in him about the status of Regina and herself, but she wasn't sure if there was a status.

Ruby brought their food out. The waitress took one look at Emma's face and her eyes grew wide, "You and I need to talk. What happened at Regina's house last night? Mrs. Hinckley from next door to Regina's said there was a huge commotion over there. Now you're sporting a black eye and busted lip."

Emma glanced up at her father then back to her friend, "I'll tell you about it later, okay?"

"I go on break in ten minutes, I expect to hear the whole story Swan," she said with a smile and a wink before walking away.

The blonde only shook her head and chuckled. She picked up her burger and took a big bite. It was the best burger she had ever tasted. She could feel her father's eyes on her again, "Wha," she asked with a mouth full. David only laughed and shook his head.

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David went back to the station and left Emma to talk with her friend. He seemed a little giddier since their lunch, the blonde wasn't entirely sure why, but as long as he was happy.

"So, why didn't you call me," the werewolf asked as they sit down at the picnic table.

Emma gave a sad smile, "I'm sorry Ruby. There were so many things going on yesterday and last night, that I didn't have time, nor was my mind in the right place."

The long-haired brunette sighed, "Okay, fine, I'll let you off with that one. What was up with the Robin Hood thing?"

The blonde rubbed her neck, "Robin Hood is the one who attacked Regina. He went to her house yesterday right before I found out, so I had to hurry up and get over there. We had a bit of a scuffle, but he got away."

The waitress had a shocked express come across her features, "Shit, Robin, huh? You were right all along."

"I didn't know he was the one who attacked Regina. I only knew he was a heartless womanizer who was breaking her heart," Emma said.

"How is she doing with all this," Ruby asked.

"Well, she is hanging in there, but she's tough," Emma let her eyes roam the clouds.

"And you?" She asked.

Emma looked back at the waitress, "I feel as though I could fall apart any second. I'm trying to be strong for Regina and Henry."

The werewolf stared at her friend for a moment, "Something has changed, what is it?"

Emma gave a perplexed look, "What do you mean?"

"Well, for starters you ate all your lunch. The dark circles under your eyes are gone, well minus the blackened one, and you seem a bit happier," She explained.

Emma bit her bottom lip, and then said, "I talked to Regina, a little."

"What did you say?" She now had the wolf's undivided attention.

Emma rubbed her eyebrow with her hand, "I told her I was in love with her."

"And how did that go?" Ruby raised her eyebrows to her hairline.

Emma licked her lips, "Not so well at first. She pretty much told me that it wasn't safe for me to love her, and at some point, we kissed."

A loud squeal came from the waitress and she clapped her hands together, "When did you guys kiss?"

"Last night", Emma said.

The werewolf's expression changed to that of a more serious one, "Have you talked to her since then?"

Emma shook her head no, "I won't lie, I'm a little scared to go home" She had no clue what to expect from the Queen. What if she got back and the Mayor acted like it had never happened? What if she treated her like crap or even worse thought she was trying to take advantage of her? Emma suddenly didn't feel good.

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"Come on love, let me out of here. I told you everything and I wasn't even the one who sold the magic," Hook whined.

"Shut up! It was you who took her powers in the first place. So as far as I am concerned, you started this. You are just as guilty as Robin," she yelled back.

"So it's true then," Will asked.

"Where the hell have you been mate? We already established that yesterday," Hook said annoyed.

The thieves' friend began rubbing his fingertips slowly over his buzzed head. "I can't believe he would do something like that. He's the most honorable man I know."

"If one more person says that, I am going to scream", Emma said as she stood up to stretch.

"One more person says what, dear?" Came Regina's voice from the doorway.

Emma's eyes widened, "Regina, what are you doing here?"

About that time Snow was coming around the corner in conversation with David, "She is not alone, David, I am with her."

"Emma is not going to be hap... Hey Emma", He interrupted his argument with his wife when he spotted his daughter.

"Excuse me?" Will called from his cell, "Mayor Mills?"

"Shut up Will," Emma warned.

Regina put up her hand to the Sheriff. She calmly walked closer to the cells, "What is that you want Mr. Scarlet?"

Both inmates noticed the dark bruising of her eye and the mark from her busted lip. Will's eyes were filling up with tears as he looked at her, "Is it true? That Robin did this?"

Regina had been confident walking into the office, but now felt uneasy, "Yes."

She watched as a tear rolled down his cheek, "I am so sorry. If I would have known what he was planning I wouldn't have taken part in this. He was supposed to be honorable," the last part was more whispered to himself.

The mayor fought back her own tears, as she looked into the man's eyes. She could see genuine pain and remorse. She glanced over at Hook, who looked saddened, but he refused to make eye contact, "Is this what you wanted, Hook?"

He didn't want to look at her, but he finally let his eyes fall on her, "No", he said softly.

"What did you hope would happen after you manipulated my son." She threw her hands up to show him what he had accomplished. "You wanted to see the Queen fall, and now have."

Hook closed his eyes, "I did want to see you fall, but not like this. I would never have been part of or even allowed something like this to happen, your Majesty."

"Don't call me that," she snapped. "Why do any of this all at? What was the point?"

"I watched every day as Emma fell harder and harder for you. She was no longer interested in me. I am in love with a woman who is in love with the Evil Queen. How does that even happen? I mean I have seen some of the things you have been capable of and I even told our Miss. Swan. Do you know what she said?" He looked up at the Mayor, "She said that people change and that she truly believed you had. Anyways, in the end, it looks like you got her."

"So you convinced a teenage boy, to betray his mother because you were jealous? I was beaten and raped Hook. That's what came out of this. After everything, do you see her in your arms," the Queen hissed as tears filled her eyes.

The pirate wiped his palm across his forehead, and he looked into the mayor's eyes. "Tell me, your Majesty, how many people have you killed and tortured over your own jealousy and rage? What about what you did to Snow White and Prince Charming when you cast that curse"

The tears overflowed now running freely down her cheeks. "Your right, I did some horrible things that I can't take back."

Mary Margret stepped forward, "Regina, you have nothing to admit to or apologize for. What you did in the past, is in the past, no matter how painful the memories may be. I have forgiven you, now you need to forgive yourself."

"Awe well isn't this sweet, one big happy family reunited again. Tell me, love, how does it feel knowing your step-mother is banging your daughter," Hook sneered.

Emma lunged forward, "You son of a bitch", she was caught by David.

Mary Margret slowly approached the cell. Hook had his forehead pressed against the bars. In one smooth, fast motion, the shorter haired brunette grabbed the pirate's shirt. She yanked him forward slamming his face hard into the steel bars. "Don't ever disrespect my family you worthless piece of shit. You didn't know me in the Enchanted Forest, but I assure you, had we met, you would have never made here to Storybrooke."

Hook grabbed his nose as the blood pour down his chin, "Isn't someone going to do something? This is assault."

Grabbing a napkin from the box on her desk, Emma handed it to the man through the bars. "Here is a tissue, don't ever say I didn't give you anything."

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Emma sat on the edge of the roof and let her feet swing. She had managed to avoid immediate contact with Regina, since the station. She was afraid that the Mayor might think she was only trying to get in her pants, and that was not the case at all. She really was in love with Regina. She knew it was selfish of her to even admit it to the Queen, but for some reason, she felt the other woman needed to know.

The rooftop door slammed shut causing Emma to look behind her. To her surprise it was Henry.

"Hey kid," she smiled.

"Hey," was his reply.

He walked up beside his mother and climbed up on the edge, letting his feet mimic his birth mother.

"Are you really in love with her?" Henry asked looking at the blonde's face.

At first, she wasn't sure how to answer the question. Was he upset about the true love thing?

"Yeah, I am," she said.

"Has she told you that she's in love with you?" Henry asked.

"Why are you asking all this," Emma looked over at her son.

"Because I want to know, and I want to know if you're going to tell me the truth," he confessed.

Emma took a deep breath and then released it, "All right, fair enough. No, your mom hasn't told me she loves me".

"She does, you know," He said looking out over the town.

Emma smiled at him. She would be lying if she said she didn't think that Regina felt something for her. She just thought it would be too bold to say it was love.

"I know it's hard," he said randomly.

"What's hard?" She asked, not sure what they were talking about.

"Watching her pretend to be okay when deep down she's not. I mean I know she is a strong person, but she has been through a lot in the last couple of days. A regular person wouldn't have made it this far," he watched the passing cars.

"Well, then it's a good thing I'm not a regular person." Regina's voice causes both of them to whip their heads in her direction.

Henry kind of looked like someone who had just got caught with their hand in a cookie jar. Regina said, "It's all right. I know you have to talk to someone about all this, but if you want to know how I am feeling, or anything else, I want you to know that you can come and talk to me. I promise I will be truthful."

"How are you feeling?" He asked.

"I have good moments and bad moments", She said.

"Why can't you just tell me?" Henry looked at her with his head tilted.

Regina sighed, "It's not always that easy, son. Sometimes it's hard to put what I'm feeling into words. There are so many things running through my head, and they get jumbled up and it can be confusing and overwhelming."

Henry nodded his head, "I get it. I'm sorry for not being more understanding."

She reached out and wrapped her arms around her son, "It's all right my Prince, I know you mean well and I love you."

"I love you to mom," he said into her shoulder.

Emma had been watching the interaction between the two. Surprisingly, she could fully understand what the mayor had meant. Now she felt like an insensitive ass. She should have kept all her feelings to herself, and let Regina deal with what was going on. She was only causing the Mayor more pain.

The rooftop door slammed and Emma looked up, noticing that Henry had left.

"I keep forgetting he's a teenager now," the Queen said as she stood next to the Sheriff looking out over the town.

Emma lifted her legs and spun around on the ledge so that she was facing her, "Regina, can we talk?"

"Please don't tell me you want to know how I feel," Regina whined.

Emma looked at her for a moment, surprised that she had actually heard the woman whined. "Umm, no, I wanted to tell you I'm sorry about last night. I shouldn't have pushed you into the conversation about us." The Sheriff saw a concerned wash over the queen's face. "I mean you have too much to deal with, and I'm not helping with my hounding you. Please know, I'm not just trying to get into your pants," Emma visibly flinched at that. "I will take a step back if that would be better."

"Emma, I know you want more from me than sex. You have no reason to apologize. I was the one that continued to ask you questions about your feeling for me, and I don't want you back off. I feel safe with you and I need you."

Emma watched as the tears began to well up in the older woman's eyes again. She hated that Regina was hurting so badly. It was eating at her that they hadn't found Robin. There were search parties out looking through the forest as they spoke.

"Emma, please don't give up on me, I need you", Regina said as she placed her hand on the blonde's knee.

The Sheriff pulled the brunette into her arms, "I'm not going anywhere, and I would never give up on you. I'm right here."

Regina let her tears fall again, but they fell silently this time as her face was buried in the long blonde locks.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

The morning had started like the day before. Regina woke wrapped in the arms of Emma. She wished she could stay like that forever. The Mayor felt safe and warm and right now that is all she needed.

She took a quick shower and headed downstairs to the kitchen. She wanted to show her appreciation for all the Charmings had done for her by making them breakfast. She made the usual, eggs, bacon, pancakes and the coffee was already brewed.

David and Mary Margret were the first two up.

"Wow, what's all this," the shorter haired brunette asked?

"Breakfast, I thought you should have a break for the morning and let me handle it," the Mayor said with a smile.

David grabbed a cup and poured some coffee, "It smells amazing Regina."

Loud stomping came from the stairs as, Emma shouted, "Yeah well I'm going to beat you!"

"No you're not," the Mayor's son shouted back.

Suddenly both the Sheriff and their teenage son slid across the tile of the dining area.

"Ha, I beat you, I touched the counter first," Henry proclaimed.

"Yeah whatever kid, I let you win", Emma said rolling her eyes.

"Children, please," Regina scolded with her one hand on her hip and the other one holding a spatula

David chuckled as he sat down at the table opening his morning paper. Suddenly, Neal started crying from the other room. Mary Margret narrowed her eyes at the two culprits.

"Sorry mom," Emma replied.

"Sorry Grandma", Henry repeated.

Regina smiled at her son and his other mother. She was glad to see them laughing and having fun for once. It felt like such a long time ago, even though it really wasn't. Maybe they should attempt something fun, as a family.

Emma got a cup of coffee and joined everyone at the table, her mother had returned now holding baby Neal. Regina finished putting the last pancake on the platter and then joined the others.

Mary Margret cradled the baby in her arms and was now feeding him a bottle, "I'm kind of surprised to see you up so early Emma."

Emma glanced across the table at the mayor, "I got cold, so I figured I should probably get up anyways."

David watched the interaction closely. He smiled when he noticed the slight blush in the older woman cheeks. He was happy that they were at least bringing each other comfort.

"I'm glad you're up early Em," David said. "I wanted to go check out the old mines. Well the one's that haven't caved in, and see if we can get any leads on Robin."

"Yeah sure, at this point anything will help," Emma said before taking a bite of her pancakes.

"Can I come," Henry asked?

"No, you certainly may not," Regina said sternly. "I remember an incident with you and mines young man. I can't go through that again." She shot a very clear warning look towards Emma and David.

They both put their hands in the air, "Yes ma'am." Emma looked at Henry, "Besides you have school."

He just nodded, and finished his food. Afterwards, he went upstairs to get ready to go. Regina hated moments like this, but there was no way in hell she could chance something happening to him. She wasn't sure she could survive something like that again on top of what was already going on.

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Henry made it his 7th period class without incidents. He heard what the other kids were saying about his mom. Billy's dad said this and Bailey's mom said this. This town was full of gossiping, hypocrites.

Henry sat down at his desk and tried to keep his head down. He was so sick of everyone talking down about his mom. If they only knew half of what she'd done for this town, they would be ashamed.

"Hey, Mills, what did mommy fix you for lunch today," a boy named Jason mocked.

Henry ignored the him. He couldn't let this kid or anyone else ruin his plans. He would redeem his mother's name by himself.

The Queen's son raised his hand. The teacher glanced up, "Henry?"

"Can I go to the restroom", he asked.

"Sure, just don't doddle around," the man said.

Henry could hear Jason behind him, "What's the matter, do you need to go change your huggies."

The teacher slapped his hand down on the desk, "That's enough Jason Tanner."

Henry released a breath after he was clear of the classroom. He wasn't sure how much he would be able to stand. It wasn't the fact that some of the kids called him names, because he could over look that. It was the fact that some of them would actually bring up his mother. So far, no one had been stupid enough to disrespect her on what had happened, but God help them if they ever did.

Henry waited until the hall monitor passed, then ran for the doors. He had something very important to do, and the sooner the better. The teenager ran out the school and down the street.

There was no real secretive way to get to the town hall. But he would stay to the alleys and bushes as best he could.

Once he arrived at town hall. He scanned the streets. With the coast clear, he darted around back. Henry knew the bathroom window lock was broken, and it was just big enough for him to squeeze through.

After he was inside the darkened building he headed for the Mayor's office. His feet crunched through the glass and he swallowed the lump that was now in his throat. He didn't want to see the mess, because then he would only be able to think about what Robin might have done to his mom.

The teenage boy's eyes fell to the desk. The dried pool of blood was still in the center. Bile started to rise from his stomach, but he closed his eyes and forced it down. He rounded the desk, ignoring the other dried pool of blood on the floor and opened the Mayor's desk drawers. He ran his fingers over each folder name. He grabbed ones he came a crossed that he thought inportant. These were Church funds, summer camp funds and things like that. By the time he was done, his backpack was stuffed full. He may have to come back for more if he can get away from school again.

Suddenly, he heard keys jingling in the main lock, "Crap".

The teen took off in a dead run for the bathroom. He made it inside just as the main door opened. He couldn't get caught, he had to finish this. He jumped up onto the shelf and squeezed himself out of the window. He knocked a vase over in the process and it crashed to the bathroom floor.

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Emma jiggled the key in the lock. It didn't want to give. Just before she was about to give up, the lock turned and she pushed open the door. For a moment she thought she heard a shuffling sound, but then it was quiet.

Maybe she was hearing things, but then glass shattered in the bathroom. Emma pulled her gun and took off towards the sound. Opening the bathroom door, the blonde could see the vase on the floor. Letting her eyes trail up, she noticed the window was opened.

It was a very narrow window, so she was pretty sure it had to be kids. She didn't have the time or patience to deal with hooligans. She let Mary Margret talk her into bringing her here to help clean the place up as a surprise for the Regina.

"What was it," her mother asked, echoing through the bathroom, making Emma jump.

"What the hell is wrong with you? I do have a gun in my hand woman. You are supposed to wait outside until I tell you it's clear," the blonde hissed at her mother. She felt like she was suddenly on the set of some slap stick comedy show.

"Sorry. I didn't hear you shoot, so I figured it was clear," the brunette smiled then went towards the office.

The Sheriff holstered her gun and let her heart slow down. She joined her mother who was staring at the blood on the desk. Emma walked up beside her, "We don't have to do this now."

The brunette wiped a tear, "No, we do."

The blonde breathed in and said, "Okay, let's get to work."

"You never said who was in the bathroom," Snow said.

"That's because you scared me so bad it shocked my memory. It looks like it may have been some punk kids or something. There's no way a grown man could fit through that window," Emma explained.

The blonde walked around the desk and noticed one of the drawers was opened. Some files looked like they were missing. Emma was sure the drawer was closed both times she had been in here. Looking down at the pool of dried blood, the blonde shook her head. There was work to be done. She figured she would forget about the drawer for now, and bring it up to Regina later.

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Ruby untied her apron from her waist. She was really starting to hate this job. She was constantly over hearing other people's conversations. Most of them talked about doctor's appointments. Somerepeated what someone said at church, or just regular gossip.

Lately, people have been gossiping about Mayor Mills and the rumors of her attack. She was so sick of hearing these self-centered close minded morons' opinions. No wonder Regina cursed these people. It was all starting to make sense to her.

As she walked passed one of the miners, she heard the man say, "Yeah, I heard he did it to her on the desk in her office."

One younger guy said, "Wait I heard it was on the sofa, but then T.J. said it was on the conference table."

"Mind your own damn businesses! What happened to Regina Mill's does not concern any of you." She looked at every person in the diner. This caused Granny's head to pop up from out of the kitchen, "Stop talking about this like it is no big deal."

"What do you care? She's the Evil Queen. She's done horrible things to all of us. Do you not remember the curse," the miner glared back.

Ruby was losing her patience at a very fast pace. The bells on the diner door jingled, but she didn't turn around, "All of you need to get over yourselves. That curse was the best thing that could have happened to any of us."

Neither Ruby nor the miner noticed the surprised look on everyone's face at who had entered. Ruby continued, "Are you all not living in air-conditioned houses, that are heated in the winter. Do you not all have jobs that provide for your family? What about running water, electricity and indoor plumbing? Oh what about vaccinations? You are all selfish souls. I have lived twenty-seven years without the horrible memory of eating my boyfriend. I didn't live in fear of being hunted, or of getting a disease that our world was unable to cure. I lived a normal life for once."

The miner looked at Ruby and sneered, "It's not like the guy killed her, and she is still breathing. If I were him",

A low yet very audible growl rumbled from deep inside the waitress' chest. Her eyes began to glow and eerie yellow and she grabbed the man by the front of his shirt, "You would have what?"

The man's feet were dangling off of the ground as the werewolf held him in the air.

"Miss. Lucas, please," a soft hand touched her shoulder and she spun around dropping the man to the floor. To the waitress' surprise, Regina was standing there, with a soft smile. The wolf inside had not settled yet so her eye's still glowed, "Did you hear what he was about to say?"

"I did, but this isn't the answer Miss. Lucas. I tried the brute force thing before to make everyone do what I wanted. How did that turn out," she said.

Granny slowly walked towards them. Ruby could see the anger in the old woman's tear filled eyes. Maybe she had finally crossed that fine line with her grandmother. She closed her eyes and waited for the wraith of her Granny to be release on her.

As the old woman passed the mayor and the waitress, she put her finger in the man's face as he stood from the floor. "You get the hell out of here and take these idiot companions of yours with you." The men gathered their hard hat and slowly started to exit. Granny continued, "Do not even attempt to step foot back in this establishment. You lot could learn a thing or two from Regina Mills." She turned towards the rest of her patrons, "If any of you have agreed with anything they said, I suggest you leave. I will not have talk like that in my Diner. Regina Mills and her family are welcome here at any time free of gossip or ill will. You can deal with it or get out."

Ruby somewhat expected the entire Diner to stand up and walk out, but they didn't. Instead an old man with the brightest blue eyes stood up and removed his hat. "I would like to apologize, Madam Mayor on behalf of the people in here. I'm am truly sorry for what you went through and if there is anything I can do to help in any way, please don't hesitate to ask."

Suddenly other people began to stand up each saying "me too", or "that goes for us."

Ruby was shocked, and amazed. She turned and grabbed the mayor in tight hug, lifting her off her feet for a second and then she sat her back down.

The Diner door opened, and David walked in. A confused look crossed his face when he saw the three ladies crying and the entire diner was on their feet. "What did I miss?"

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Henry walked into the library and straight up to belle who sat behind the counter.

"Hey Henry", she turned and looked at the clock on the wall, "Did school let out early?"

"umm, something like that", he smiled, "I need to make some copies."

"All right, what would like to make copies of," the Aussie asked with a bit of energy?

Henry put his backpack up on the counter top, and unzipped it. "I need copies of all this," He pulled the files from the bag.

A slight gasp escaped the woman's mouth, as she took a folder and opened it up. She scanned the documents, and then looked up at Henry wide-eyed, "Where did you get these?"

"It doesn't matter, can you make copies or not?" Henry was starting to lose his nerve, and he did worry the woman might rat him out. He sighed, "Look they are files from my mom's desk. I am working on something very important and I need to get them back before anyone sees them gone."

The Aussie tilted her head, "I don't know Henry, the last time you asked for a favor, it wasn't good."

Henry leaned closer to the counter, "I know I did a very bad thing, but I promise this is way different. No one is going to get hurt. This is to help my mom and no one else is involved but me."

Belle opened another folder and glanced over its contents, her eyes grew wide, "Oh my God, you mean"

"Shhhhhh", the teenager hissed, "I don't want anyone to know yet."

The beauty smiled, "Okay, but you do know it is like 15 cents per copy, right?"

Henry said nothing as he stuck his hand in his pocket and whipped out a hundred dollar bill.

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"This is the one time I will admit that I am glad this place is made of marble," Mary Margret said.

The blood hadn't stained anything, so that was a plus. It still took a lot of elbow grease to get it all off the floor and the desk.

Other than the glass missing from the door and a few missing vases, the place looked new. Emma found herself hoping the mayor would be able to come back to work soon. She didn't want the mayor to feel afraid any more.

"Excuse me, Sheriff," an old man with intense blue eyes stood in the door way of the office. "I was wondering if I could offer my services."

Emma looked over at her mother then back to the man, "Unless you can fix glass, I think we are about wrapped up here."

He smiled, "As a matter of fact, that's my specialty," He yelled over his shoulder, "Stan! Luke!"

Two ginormous men appeared behind him, one with a measuring tape and one with pen and paper. Emma just watched them with a surprised expression. The one man read off the measurement while the other man wrote them down.

After the two men had finished, the old man pointed towards the restroom, "One more in there. Then I want you two to go around and check each window in this building."

Emma walked toward him, "Sir, I have no power to pay you for all this."

He smiled and waved his hand as he started towards the exit, "I was already paid."

Emma raised an eyebrow, "By whom?"

The man waved over his shoulder, "Mayor Mills." He disappeared outside, leaving the two younger with their instructions.

"I hope it doesn't take these guys long to get what they need. I have to go get Neal from daycare," Snow said.

"Here," the blonde said pulling her keys from her pocket. She passed them to the brunette, "I'll wait on these guys. I have Regina's keys to lock up."

"Are you sure? I mean I can have David come pick me up," Mary Margret smiled.

"No, go. If I need anything I'll call. Now go do what you need to do," she smiled back, with a kiss on her cheek from her mother, the other woman was gone.

Emma sat down in the office chair behind the desk. It was still uncomfortable to look at the marble desk top. She was so relieved to see the office like this. _Why would Regina randomly hire a glass maker?_ That didn't make any sense. She hadn't mentioned anything about it to her.

The ring tone of her phone went off and she fished it out of her back pocket, "Yeah", she said as she swiped the screen.

"Miss Swan," came a very timid female voice from the other end.

Emma pulled the phone away from her ear to look at the screen, it was Henry's school, "This is her, I mean she."

"Hi, Miss. Swan, this is about your son, Henry", the woman said almost robotic.

For a brief moment, Emma felt like saying, 'I only have one son, and I know his name'. Instead she kept a pleasant tone, "What about my son, Henry?"

"Well, it seems he didn't show up for his last class today," the woman said in a small voice.

"What do you mean he didn't show up for his last class? Where was he," Emma asked confused?

The woman stuttered, "I-I'm n-not sure. His history teacher let him go to the bathroom during 7th period, and he never came back."

Emma bit her lower lip, "I'll have a talk with him this evening, thank you for calling."

She hung up the phone and slid it back into her pocket. She had to talk to Henry, before Regina found out. She would go postal if she knew their son was skipping school. Emma knew Henry was a good kid, so there had to be a damned good reason for him leaving.. The mayor didn't need the added stress, so the blonde would deal with this on her own.

Emma pulled her phone out of her pocket again. This time she texted her Henry, _'Why don't you come by the town hall, I need your help with a few things.'_

Her phone vibrated in her hand a few seconds later, _'Sure, give me a little bit and I'll meet you there.'_

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Regina sat on the roof of the apartment, staring over at the diner. It was still a couple of hundred yards away, but she could a see the diner sign. _What had happened today?_ _Why would the Lucas' stand up for her like that?_ It didn't make any sense.

She had worked for years, trying to build this town. Never once had she felt that she was given credit for anything she had accomplished. Especially after the curse broke.

She spent a large portion of her life, only ever loving three people. two of them were dead, Daniel and her father, and the third was her precious son. She stopped allowing anyone else to come near her or to ever know her. So many years were spent alone. As a matter of fact, her entire time in Storybrooke, she had never made a friend, until Emma. _How pathetic was that?_

The Mayor spent so much time hating people, including her own mother. Yet she continued to grow to become more and more like the woman she despised. She only ever wanted to be loved back. Those who had ever dared, had paid the ultimate price, or she loved those who didn't deserve it, like Robin.

"How are you doing," Snow's voice called through the afternoon air.

Regina turned in the lawn chair looked up at the woman with a soft smile, "Good, it's been a long day, though."

Mary Margret sat in the chair caddy-cornered from the one the mayor was in, "I heard. I just got off of the phone with Ruby."

"Ahh, I see," the older woman acknowledged.

"Why did she do that, Snow," the mayor asked looking across the sky?

"She's loyal, and has a good heart," the younger woman said.

Regina peered at her, "I have never done Ruby Lucas or her Grandmother any favors. They should hate me like everyone else."

"Maybe. Maybe not, but to some people, that curse of yours was a God send. Not to mention that her best friend is madly in love with you, so I guess it comes with the territory," Snow said with a smile.

"I don't know what she would have done if I hadn't stopped her. Her eyes were glowing and I think she was going to turn", Regina said with seriousness.

"Well then it is a good thing you stopped her." Mary Margret grinned, "Just so you know, werewolves can only change in a full moon. She can still lose her temper, though. Luckily for everyone, her human side was still intact."

"Why are people wanting to be nice to me all the sudden," Regina asked, standing up and walking over to the ledge?

Mary Margret stood, isfollowing. She sat facing the mayor, "Sometimes it takes a while for things to catch on. I mean you can't make a fire without first a spark, right?"

Regina looked at Snow, "That is certainly a different analogy. Did you come up with that one all by yourself," Regina asked sarcastically.

"Okay, fine, you want the truth? You spent all those years manipulating people. ou make them fear you, and you controled them. That's not how you gain respect. You have to earn it from a respectable and trust worthy person, and with each earned you gain more. You have Emma's trust, and respect. In return, you have earned Ruby's and Granny's. With Ruby and Granny defending you, it earned you a hand full of residents. The hardest part, is maintaining what you have gained," Snow explained.

"You sound like a Queen who is strategically planning an attack on a neighboring kingdom." Regina laughed, "But I see your point."

There was several moments of silence between the two woman. This friend thing the two of them had was new, and they were still trying to get a feel for it.

"I bought some stuff to make lasagna for dinner tonight. I thought maybe you could help me with your recipe," the younger woman said with a smile.

"Of course, I would love to," the Mayor said, "By the way, where are Emma and Henry?"

Snow looked at her watch, "Well Emma still had a few things to finish up when I left her, but I am not sure about Henry."

Regina pulled out her phone and texted her teenage son, _'Where are you at? School let out two hours ago?'_

A few seconds later her phone beeped, _'I'm helping Emma with some stuff, but we will be home soon.'_

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Henry hit send on his phone to send back the message to Regina. He was wondering what Emma could possibly need help with. He had so much to do and not much free time to do it. He walked up to the front of the town hall and saw a glass maker's truck. He looked at it questionably, as he entered the building.

The first thing he noticed was that the glass from the door was no longer on the floor. He stepped into the office. He was amazed that only a few short hours ago this place was a complete disaster. Now it looked as though nothing had even happened here. He was hoping the glass makers were only replacing broken glass, and not bathroom windows.

His birth mother sat behind the desk staring out the window, as he approached.

"How was school today," she asked.

The tone was unusual but he answered, "Fine, it was just like any other day."

"What did you do in last period," she asked turning to look at his face?

"Well, we," he was going to attempt to make up a lie, but unfortunately this was the wrong mother to try it on. "I didn't go."

Emma looked at him for a moment, and then asked, "Why not?"

"I had better things to do," he didn't express attitude it was more in a matter of fact kind of way.

"I don't think that answer will sit right with your other mother, so try again," Emma said leaning forward in the chair.

"You can't tell mom, please. She has enough things to think about, then worrying about me," Henry pleaded.

"I agree, and getting calls from the school saying you're skipping doesn't help. I don't keep secrets from your mom," Emma said narrowing her eyes.

"You kept it from her that you were in love with her", Henry said.

"I told her the truth, eventually. I have turned over a new leaf, and we are not talking about me, we're talking about you and school Henry. If you are having troubles at school, you need to tell us so we can fix it," she spit out.

Henry walked over to the now up right side up sofa and plopped down. His birth mother went to join him.

He looked up at her, "I have my troubles at school, but nothing I can't handle. That's not the reason I left today."

Emma looked at him confused, "Then why?"

The teenager shook his head, "I can't tell you. Please, it is a surprise. I'm going to help mom win over the people of the town."

The sheriff looked at her son, "Henry, if you can't tell me than I have to tell your mom. My job is to protect you and to keep you safe if you're in some kind of trouble."

Henry put his hand up, "I'm not in any trouble, I swear. And this isn't a magic thing. I swore I would never do anything that stupid again, but I can't tell you what I am doing, not yet, please Emma, trust me."

The blonde looked at the sincerity in her son's eyes, "Fine, but you do it after school, no more skipping. If your mom finds out I kept this from her she will kill me. I hope you realize that."

The boy jumped forward and hugged his birth mother, "Thank you, and mom wouldn't kill you, she loves you."


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter13**

The smell of lasagna hit Emma and Henry in the face as they opened the door to the apartment. Regina was pulling it out of the oven and she glanced up.

"What took you so long," her mother asked, placing silverware beside the plates on the table.

"Umm... We had a couple of things to finish up. It took a little longer than we expected," the blonde said glancing over at her son.

Emma saw the skeptical expression, but she ignores it, "Diner smell great, we are starving!"

Henry rubbed his stomach, "Oh yeah, and moms lasagna is the best."

Regina smiled at them both, "Then go wash your hands and we can eat."

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After having a water war in the bathroom, while washing their hands. Emma and Henry joined the family at the dinner table.

Emma glanced over at Regina who was seated across the table from her. The brunette listened to their son talk about school. But the blonde hadn't been paying attention to what the teen was saying. Instead, she couldn't get over how breath taking the Mayor was. No, she hadn't done anything differently. Her hair was still styled the same, and her makeup was still applied the same. Maybe it was the smile on her face, and the new color in her cheeks. The brunette seemed happier today, and she was glad.

"Emma, are you all right," David asked. He tried to hide the smirk on his face at the way his daughter was staring at the mayor.

Suddenly, Emma could feel everyone's eyes on her and she blushed, "Yeah, I'm fine."

She looked down at her plate, hoping to regain the courage to hold her head back up.

"The lower left-hand drawer of your desk? What do you keep in there," Emma asked?

The older brunette tilted her head, "Paid funding projects. Why?"

Emma didn't want to worry the woman, but answered, "Well, the drawer was opened and most of the files were missing."

Regina looked perplexed, "I don't know why anyone would take them. That is strange."

"Did the glass guy say how long it would take," Mary Margret asked Emma?

"Umm, no, but one of the big guys said that they would call when they were ready to install," the blonde replied to her mother.

Regina swallowed the food in her mouth, and then took a sip of wine, "Who needs glass installed?"

Emma and Snow looked at each other, puzzled, "You know, the glass guy you hired to replace the windows at your office."

"What are you talking about? I didn't hire anyone. I haven't even been back to the office since Saturday," Regina said.

The shorter haired brunette spoke. "An older gentleman with beautiful blue eyes offered to replace the glass in your door. When Emma told him she didn't have the authority to pay him, he said he had already been paid by you. From what it looked like, he was going to replace all of the windows in the building"

Taking another sip of her wine, Regina zoned out. Emma could see she was hard in thought and almost hated to interrupt. "Do you know the guy, or do I need to go pay him and his guys a visit?"

"No. I mean no you don't need to pay him a visit and yes I know him. Sort of," the Queen said.

David took a sip of his water, "Regina had an incident today at the diner."

The sheriff's head flew up, "What do you mean an incident." She looked over to the older brunette, "Are you okay, what happened?"

"Calm down Killer. She's fine. It wasn't the usual incident, well, at first it was, but then," David started.

"Spit it out, what happened? Do I need to go down there," Emma anger rising?

Regina put her hand up to David to stop him. She explained, "When I got to the diner, Ruby was in an altercation with some miner over me. She wolfed out a bit, and told the diner off." She took a breath, "Granny came out from behind the counter and made the men leave. She told the rest of the people in the diner that they were to stop gossiping about me. She said I was welcome there at any time. If anyone had a problem with it, they could leave."

Emma looked at her in disbelief, "Wow. What did the customers do?"

Regina laughed, "Well, there was an old man who had stood up and apologized to me, as did the entire diner. He had the bluest eyes I have ever seen, and he told me that if there was anything I ever needed, all I need was ask."

Emma put her fork down and leaned back in her chair, "It sounds like the same guy."

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Henry was glad that David had been playing Mr. Fix-it after dinner. He sprayed lubricant on the hinges to stop the front door from squeaking. Just after ten, when all the adults were in bed, the teenager snuck out.

He had made a pit stop by the Mayor's office to drop off the files. He had been worried all evening about how he would get those back. If they had fixed all the windows already, he wouldn't have been able to get in.

Now he was headed to the library, and Belle said she would leave a key for him to get in after hours. He just hoped they all showed, he couldn't take being let down, not when he was so close. As he rounded the corner he heard a voice, "What are you up to, Mills?"

When his eyes discover the voice, he saw that it was Ava. He continued to walk, "None of your business."

"Ouch, Mills, that hurt. I've never seen you out this late before," the girl said, as she followed.

Henry spun around to face her, "Are you going to make fun of me too, and talk shit about my mom? If that's the case then you need to beat it."

The girl threw her hands up, "Whoa dude, I just meant I've never seen you out this late, it was an innocent statement. And I don't have a reason to make fun of you or your moms."

The teenage boy could tell Ava was telling the truth, so he turned back around and started walking again. "I'm going to the library."

"At this time of night? You must really want a good grade," the girl almost shrieked.

Henry laughed, "No, I'm working on a project for my mom. I want the town to stop treating her like they do."

"How are you going to do that," she asked?

"Agree to help, and I'll show you," Henry said stopping and faced her.

The girl smiled, "Deal."

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Regina had been restless tonight. She tossed and turned and at one point almost knocked Emma off of the futon. Luckily she was able to get the other woman to take a sleeping aid. She lay, holding the Mayor in her arms until she fell asleep. Only trouble now was that Emma couldn't go back to sleep.

She cautiously slid out from under the brunette and then out of the bed. She started down stairs when she noticed Henry's door cracked open.

When she peeked in to check on him, she noticed his backpack, shoes and his person were all missing.

"Shit," she whispered.

She snuck back into the room to get her phone, and to make sure the Mayor was still sleeping. She grabbed a button up shirt and threw it over her the tank top she was wearing. The blonde took the phone and went downstairs where she texted her son, _'Where in the hell are you?'_

A few seconds later her phone vibrated, _'I'm at the library working on the project.'_

The library was the only information she needed. She slipped on some sneakers by the front door and away she went. _What the hell was wrong with their son?_ He must have fallen on his head at some point in his life and it was choosing now to cause issues. _First, he skips school, and then after she agrees to keep his secret, he sneaks out of the house in the middle of the night?_ If Regina found out about this, and that the blonde knew all along, she was dead. There were no two ways about it.

His ass better be at the library. He was probably lying because there was no way Belle would still have that library open, she closed at eight.

Before she knew it, the yellow bug was pulling up to the building, and to her surprise, the lights were on. She hopped out of the vehicle, shutting the door. She jogging up to the entrance.

She was shocked at what she saw when she entered. Henry, Ava, Ruby, Granny, Belle, and several other residents' busy working. Even the blue eyed old man was there. Henry looked at her with both surprise and fear. he ran over to her, "I can explain."

The blonde let her eyes travel over the room at all the people who were working in a systematic fashion.

Emma whispered, "What's all this?"

"It's what I've been working on for mom," He said smiled.

Some people were stuffing folded papers into envelopes. Others were writing names and addresses on them and placing stamps.

"So are you going to let me in on what this is," the Sheriff said. "If you want me to keep saving your neck, I need to know if it is worth it."

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The alarm clock from the cell phone was relentless. Regina opened one eye. She aimlessly slapped her hand around the end table to turn the horrid contraption off. Finally, her hand made contact with the tornado siren that was blaring from the small device. She slides the alarm off.

Emma was still asleep, and she leaned in to wake her. The shirt the woman had on wasn't what she went to bed with. The Sheriff looked peaceful, in her slumber. Her face was relaxed, and only a slight purplish hue remained under her left eye. She gently ran her finger over the bruise. Emma had done a lot for her in these last few days. She was amazed at how soft her lips had been.

She gently caressed the blonde's cheek, "Emma, it's time to wake up."

The mayor let her finger softly glide over the other woman's lips, "Emma, dear."

Blonde eyelashes began to flutter. As soon as the green eyes met the brown ones, Regina was greeted with a large grin.

"Good morning," the brunette beamed back.

"Morning", the Sheriff replied.

"Did you get cold last night," the Mayor asked?

Emma looked up at the other woman with a raised eyebrow, "No, why?"

"Because you went to bed with a tank top on and now you are wearing this." the brunette ran her hand over the sleeve of the shirt.

"Oh, uh, I got up and went on the roof for a bit, and forgot I had put it on."

Regina looked at her skeptically, but then dismissed it. She needed to get up and fix Henry breakfast before he went off to school. She didn't have time to worry about why the blonde would lie to her about something as simple as a shirt.

The Queen got up, leaving a protesting Sheriff on the bed, "I have to get up, and so do you. I have to make sure Henry is ready for school and you need to get ready for work. So do I."

Emma sat up, "You need to get ready for what?"

Regina grabbed her robe from the back of the door and slid it on, "To go to work, dear."

Jumping out of bed, "No you're not."

"Yes, I am. I have a lot of responsibilities as Mayor and I need to" the Queen was cut short.

"Are you listening to yourself right now? Regina, you were just attacked a few of days ago," the Sheriff proclaimed.

"Oh, thank you, Miss. Swan. I had suddenly forgotten. I know exactly what happened a few days ago, but I have things to do. Things that will not do themselves." Regina glared.

Emma ran her hands through her hair, "I understand that. But we haven't even caught Robin yet. You can't go back there right now. You need more time."

"Do not tell me what I need. You have no idea what it is that I need. I can't sit around this apartment like a prisoner," the Mayor was suddenly feeling anxiety.

"I know more of how you feel than you might think," Emma said.

Regina narrowed her eye, "How could you possibly have a clue how I feel?"

Emma stared at the brunette for a moment and shook her head. "You know, you're not the only woman in the world to ever get raped."

The Queen was not sure how to respond to that. She was pretty sure the blonde just admitted that she had been raped. She saw the tears welling up in the Sheriff's eyes. She watched the younger woman turn and walk out of the room.

Regina put one hand on her hip and one over her mouth. _What was she supposed to say?_ She had no idea. She couldn't believe she was being a bitch again.

The older woman decided to let it go. They could discuss it later, right now she needed to wake her son. She could spend the rest of the day kicking herself in the ass.

Regina went into her son's room. He was gone. Maybe he was already down stairs, the Mayor thought to herself.

Walking down stairs, she noticed that Mary Margret was in the kitchen pouring coffee. "Where is Henry?"

The shorter haired brunette looked up and smiled. "He left for school early. He said he had to swing by the library for something, and Emma is on the roof."

"Oh," the older woman had only asked about her son. If Snow was giving the location of Emma it must mean that she wanted her to talk to the blonde.

Mary Margret handed two cups of coffee to the Mayor, with the same mother Theresa smile.

Regina took the cups and headed up the stairs to the roof. She had no clue what to say to her. She didn't even know if the blonde wanted to see her right now.

She opened the door and walked out, letting it close behind her softly. Emma was sitting on the ledge, with her legs hanging off and her back to the brunette.

The older woman sat one cup down beside the blonde but said nothing. Instead, she looks out into the distance, same as Emma.

"Why do you have to always put up these fronts when you're with me," the Sheriff asked.

Regina took a deep breath sitting down on the ledge facing Emma. "You're just lucky, I guess", the Mayor joked, but the blonde didn't laugh. "I don't know."

The younger woman still didn't look at the Queen. Regina said, "It's a defense mechanism, I guess. When I feel stressed, or overwhelmed I get bitchy. I don't know what you want me to say, Emma. I'm not good at talking about my feelings."

Regina felt a little awkward. She had never been good at this sharing thing. Hell, Henry had been the only person she had shared anything with, well, anything sensitive. Confiding in people had never turned out well. She feared someone would use it against her. The truth was, she knew Emma would never do that to her, but trust was a hard thing for the brunette.

"Neither am I Regina, but I'm trying. I would tell you anything you wanted to know about at this moment because I trust you," the Sheriff said.

"I don't understand why. Telling me that you love me or that you are in love with me, doesn't answer that. I have never had someone trust in me so blindly," the Queen said.

Emma scooted closer to the older woman, "I trust you blindly now, but not at first. You proved in so many ways that you're Regina Mills now, not the Evil Queen."

Emma stared down at the street below, "I was raped by a foster family's son when I was fifteen. He was older than me and had pretty much been a bully since I arrived. He did the usual things, like name calling, shoving me, stuff like that. I just ignored him, but after a couple of weeks went by he started saying worse things to me. He was making sexual remarks. He would tell me how I wouldn't be so uptight if I just had a good fuck. He would tell me all the things he could do to me and how much I would like it."

"You didn't tell your foster parent's," the Queen asked.

"No. I started to, but they seemed to live in this fantasy world. They thought they were the perfect family and that their son could do no wrong. So being afraid that they wouldn't believe me, I kept it to myself. Not too long after that, I was in the basement, doing laundry, when he came down stairs. Both parents were gone, and I was alone with him. He told me that he had been waiting for this moment for weeks, and then he grabbed me, threw me down on the floor. I tried to fight back, but he pulled out a knife and threatened to cut my throat. He told me that no one would miss some foster kid, and at the time I believed him, so he raped me."

Regina was staring in Emma's face, "Did you tell someone after that?"

Emma didn't cry, she had an emotionless expression, "No, that night I grabbed my shit and took off. I never saw them again."

The other woman stayed silent for several moments, and Emma kept her sight on the street below them.

"I'm sorry that you went through that, and I am sorry for telling you that you didn't know how I was feeling," the Mayor said.

Emma sighed, and then took one of Regina's hands, "Let's not talk about this anymore, right now. Please don't go back to the town hall, at least until next week."

Regina looked into the emerald orbs, "Who is going to run the town until then?"

"Well, I thought maybe Mary Margret could. She did it before and even you said she didn't screw anything up," the Sheriff smiled, "And it's for less than a week."

The mayor shook her head side to side, "Fine, I don't know why, but fine."

Emma smiled and placed a chaste kiss on the mayor's lips, "Now I just have to go and break the news to my mom."


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter14**

Mary Margret sat behind the desk with her elbows on the marble and her face in her hands. _How could she let Emma talk her into doing this again?_ She got so stressed out last time she thought she could go on a murderous rampage. She had to admit, she had a new found respect for what Regina did here.

She glanced up at the wall, as soon as the minute hand reached 9:00 AM, the phone started ringing. "Mayor's office," She answered as pleasantly as possible.

"I need to speak with Mayor Mill's," the woman on the other end said.

"I'm sorry she's still out. I'm the acting mayor until she returns. Who is this, maybe I can assist you," Snow replied.

"When will she be back," the lady asked?

"Umm Monday, I think," the short-haired brunette was feeling as though the woman didn't want to talk to her.

"I'll talk to the Mayor on Monday then," the woman said hanging up.

As soon as Mary Margret sat the receiver down, the phone rang again, "Mayor's office."

"Can I speak with Mayor Mills, please," a familiar voice asks?

"Blue, Hey, Mayor Mills is still out of the office until Monday. I would be glad to assist you with whatever you need," Mary Margret said.

"Thank you Snow, but this is something I must discuss with the mayor herself. Thank you anyways," the woman said before hanging up.

 _What in the world was going on?_ _Did she suddenly get the plague or something?_ No one wanted to talk to her.

A knock on the office door pulled her attention as she sat the receiver back down on the base. She looked up and saw the two large gentlemen that the blue-eyed stranger had sent. "Mr. Smith said he called this morning?"

"Yes, he did. He said you were ready to install all the glass," it was somewhat a question?

"Yes ma'am," one of the men answer with confidence.

"Well don't let me keep you, and thank you," Snow smiled.

As two men disappeared to retrieve their tools and the glass, another man appeared in the doorway. "Is the Mayor in," he asked?

"No, she'll be back on Monday," the brunette smiled.

"Well I am the painter, Robert Johnson," he said.

Mary Margret looked up confused, "Painter?"

"Yes ma'am, I am going paint the building," the man stated.

"No one cleared that through me, and I don't have a work order for paint," Snow said looking around the papers on her desk.

"It has already been taken care of," the man smiled and walked out.

Snow had just gotten the job. She had to call and ask Regina about this before the other woman thought she couldn't handle it. Picking up the phone she dialed the Queen's number.

"Hello," came the voice.

"Hey, Regina. I have a quick question for you. Did you happen to hire a painter to paint the building, by chance," the younger woman asked?

"No, why," came the concerned replied.

"Well, a man just showed up here. I think he said his name was Robert Johnson, and he said you paid him to paint the building," Snow said uneasily.

"I certainly did not. I got a quote from him last month and he was entirely too expensive," Regina almost yelled.

Snow narrowed her eyebrows, "Well he said it was already paid for."

"What the hell is going on," Regina asked?

"Don't worry, I'll get Emma to dig into it," the younger woman said before hanging up.

Suddenly, with the talk of money, Snow remembered the missing files. She leaned down and opened the drawer. To her surprise, the drawer was full. _How did they get back here she wondered?_

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Henry leaned over his book scanning the pages for the answers on his worksheet. A piece of paper hit him in the back of the head and he turned around only to see Jason with a cocky grin on his face, "Momma's boy."

Henry rolled his eyes. He wasn't in the mood for this. He had much more important stuff on his mind. He turned back to his work and said nothing.

Jason was sitting with two other boys, which were cheering him on. Jason spoke again in a loud whisper, "You must be a real pussy having two moms and no dad."

Henry swallowed the anger that was starting to rise. He had to get this assignment done and this boy was totally not worth it. He didn't want to cause any trouble for his mother, well either of them, they both had enough to worry about.

"I heard what happened to your mom, whoever did that was a lucky bastard," the other boy said.

Henry tensed and clenched his fist, but the other kid continued, "Your mom is hot. I would totally do her. Don't you think so?" The text book bounced off of Jason's face, and before he could register what had happened, Henry was in his face. He grabbed the other boy by the shirt and jerked him out from behind his desk. "You want to talk about me, fine, but you say one more word about either of my moms and I will punch your face in."

The other boy, along with his friend, stood wide-eyed. Henry released the kid and turned around only to be greeted by the teacher. "Mr. Mills, you get a first class ticket to the principal's office, as do you Mr. Tanner."

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"Emma I tracked the west forest all night, he isn't there. We have to look somewhere else," Ruby said in frustration.

"Damn it, we have looked everywhere else. He has to be there," Emma's voice raised.

"He has to be moving and he is good at covering his tracks. I don't know what to tell you," Ruby threw her hand up.

Emma pinched the bridge of her nose, another headache was knocking. Suddenly her ringtone went off in her pocket. She grabbed the phone and answered, "Sheriff Swan."

"Ummm Sheriff, this is about your son, Henry again," the timid woman said.

"Please tell me he didn't skip again", she said with a sigh.

"No, ma'am. I'm afraid this is a more serious offense. He was in a fight," the woman said.

"A fight? Henry Mill's? Are you sure you have the right kid? Mine's pretty much the nicest one you could ever meet," Emma said in a surprised tone?

"Yes, I'm sure. The Principle is going to want to speak with you. Actually, he wanted to speak to Mayor Mill, but Henry begged me to call you instead," the woman explained.

"Thank you for calling. I will be there as soon as I can," the blonde said before hanging up.

Ruby's eye brows were in her hairline, "Henry got into a fight?"

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Emma sat in the waiting area in the school's office. Suddenly, she felt nervous. It like she was back in school herself. She'd sat in front of a principal more times than one could count. Regina was so going to blame her genes for Henry's behavior.

A tall slender man walked in and up to the front desk, "I'm Mr. Tanner. I was told my son was in a fight?"

The timid voice from the phone now had a face. "If you'll have a seat Mr. Tanner, the principal will be with you in a moment."

Emma watched the man sit on the opposite wall as her. He seemed both concerned, and nervous.

The door to Emma left opened and a balding older man poked his head out, "Sheriff, Mr. Tanner, you can come in?"

Emma glanced at the man, who was looking at her as they stood up and his eyes were wide. The blonde was not entirely sure what his new expression was about, but she followed him into the office.

Once they were in the office, both boys were sitting in chairs that were on opposite sides of the room. The boys 7th period teacher stood near the desk with his arms crossed. She only knew the man because the boy had begged her to come to open house with him and the Mayor. She remembers not caring for him much.

"Sheriff and Mr. Tanner, if you don't mind," the bald man motioned towards the chairs in front of his desk.

The two parents briefly looked at one another, then sat down.

"It appears that both of your boys were involved in a fight with one another," the principle said.

Emma's palms were sweating now. This principal made her feel like she was a teenager again, and she didn't like it.

The teacher uncrossed his arms and pointed towards Henry. "This one assaulted Mr. Tanner."

Henry said nothing he kept his eye on the teacher. "He threw his book at him, and then he grabbed Mr. Tanner by the shirt, and threatened him."

Emma narrowed her eyes at the teacher, "Did the other kid hit him first?"

"No Sheriff, He did not," the anal retentive man answered.

"What did the other kid say to him," she asked looking at Henry, then back to the teacher?

"I don't see the relevance of that, Sheriff. We have a no tolerance to fighting here," the man said in know it all tone.

The father stood up, and looked at his son, "What did you say to him, Jason?"

Jason's head popped up cockily, "Nothing worth getting a book thrown in my face."

Henry said nothing, his gaze seemed to zone out. Mr. Tanner stepped closer to his son. "Jason Mitchell Tanner, you have two seconds to tell me what you said to Henry"." tThe man's eyes zeroed in on the teen, and his tone was deadly, "and knock that stupid ass look off of your face."

The boy's face became more serious, "I was just joking with him like I always do."

Emma looked at Henry, "What did he say to you?"

Henry shook his head, "It doesn't matter."

"I want to know word for word what happened," Emma said, her eyes moving from one boy to the other.

The teacher sneered at the Sheriff, "Tell her Mr. Cooper, that it doesn't matter, this is a no tolerance policy."

Emma whipped her head around to the teacher, "You are very close to being escorted from this room. Did you hear the conversation before the fight began?"

"Some of it," he said pouting.

Jason's father walked over to his son," If I have to ask you one more time, I will kick your ass all the way back to the house."

Henry stood up, "He said I was a pussy first, but I ignored him, he says stuff like that all the time."

Mr. Tanner leaned over and popped Jason on the back of the head making his hair fly up. Emma put her hands on her hips and looked over at the teacher, "So, what have you been doing to stop this bullying?"

"Sheriff Swan, kids are kids, they say things all the time. It doesn't mean they should turn to violence", the teacher said.

She clenched her fist, but looked back at Henry, "What did he say after that? "

Henry looked Emma in the eyes and saw tears. "He said he heard what happened to mom and that whoever did it was lucky, and then he said he would do her."

Mr. Tanner reached over grabbing his son by his ear, "Are you kidding me? Why in the hell would you say something like that?"

Emma kept Henry's gaze for a second, as she watched the tears fall from his eyes. She then turned back to the teacher, "You mean to tell me, that you heard the things being said and did nothing to stop it?"

The man held his chin up, "Like I said, Sheriff Swan, kids will be kids. Words are just words?"

Emma stepped closer to the teacher. "Look here, you candy ass piece of shit. I know for a fact that the school handbook has an entire page on no tolerance of bullying. Yet you witnessed bullying, and did nothing?"

Mr. Tanner stepped towards the principal's desk, "Is this how you run your school? I could have stopped this, had I been told what was going on."

Mr. Cooper looked a little shell shocked. He turned to the teacher, "Is this true Mr. Goff? You heard and seen the bullying taking place and you failed to report it or stop it?"

"Kids say things like that all the time, they don't mean anything by it," the teacher said.

Mr. Tanner punched the man in the nose, "Report that. You have put all of the children in the school at danger, including my own son." He turned to the principal, "As long as he is teaching here, my son will not be attending."

Mr. Cooper turned to the teacher, "I agree with Mr. Tanner. You have twenty minutes to gather your belongings and leave the school premises. You are no longer employed here."

Mr. Goff stared wide eyed as he held his bleeding nose, "You're firing me, all because the Mayor's kid got called a few names?"

"Good day Mr. Goff," The principal snapped.

"There is a mandatory two-day suspension", Mr. Cooper added.

Mr. Tanner spoke to his son, "Jason grab your bag and say good bye to all friends. Say goodbye to anything electronic, because you won't be seeing any of then for a long while."

The boy nodded, now afraid after seeing him punch the teacher. He stood following his father out.

After the door closed the principal looked at Henry, "I still need to speak with Mayor Mills on this topic. Technically, she is your primary guardian."

"Please no, Mr. Cooper. My mom has been through enough, she can't handle anymore," Henry pleaded.

"Look, Mr. Cooper, I promise we will deal with this, but right now it has to be between us. Regina is not ready for any more worry," Emma explained.

Mr. Cooper sighed, "All right, but I will be in touch with you Sheriff. The suspension starts tomorrow."

"Thank you very much," Emma said as she and Henry took their leave.

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Emma killed the engine to the bug outside the apartment, but didn't get out. The whole ride back had been silent. Henry hadn't said anything. Emma didn't want to push him. She figured he would talk to her when he was ready. She totally understood when it came to losing one's temper.

"Are you going to be able to put on your poker face," Emma asked her son?

He took a deep breath and then blew it out, "I am going to try."

"We need to talk later when you're ready, okay", she said?

He just nodded and gave her a weak smile, before he opened the door and got out. Emma followed. She had that nervous feeling in her stomach. This would have been the second time in two days she'd kept something from Regina. Not to mention everything Henry was been dealing with. The blonde wished her son would have told one of his mother's sooner about the bullying. She knew why he didn't, and she knew if she were in his shoes she wouldn't have either.

Emma followed her son into the apartment. Regina stood in front of the stove stirring something. She turned to say hi to her son, but he headed straight for the stairs to his room.

The Queen looked at Emma with a worry, "What's the matter with Henry?"

Emma put on a fake smile, "Oh him, he's just tired. It's been a long day."

Regina looked at her for a moment then when back to cooking. The blonde didn't want to seem awkward so she said, "It smells good, what's for dinner?"

The Sheriff walked up behind the brunette to see what she was cooking. As she peered over the older woman's shoulder, Emma pressed her breast into the mayor's back. Of course the blonde didn't notice at first until she heard the other woman gasp.

Emma stepped back and swallowed, "Sorry. I didn't mean to," she didn't finish the sentence. Instead, she changed the subject, "I'm going to get out of your way and go chill on the roof until dinner."

The Sheriff opened the refrigerator and took a beer from the bottom shelf. She was a little embarrassed, so she avoided the brunette's eyes as she retreated to the roof. Once she was outside she let out the breath she had been holding, and opened the bottle in her hand.

Tossing the cap onto the little table, she plopped down into the nearest lawn chair. What a day. She had spent the whole day traipsing through the forest, and still no Robin. Now her kid gets into a fight, because some idiot has been bullying him.

She took a long swig of the cold beer. _Oh, responsibilities do suck ass,_ she thought to herself.

She heard the door behind her open, but she didn't have the energy to turn and see who it was.

She watched as Henry walked passed her to the edge or the roof. For a moment he just stared off, then he turned and sat on the ledge facing Emma.

"I really tried," he said.

Emma knew what he was talking about, "I know kid."

He looked down at his shoes then back at her, "I don't care what they call me, but I couldn't let him say that about her." His voice cracked.

Emma sat the beer down on the table, walked over to him, "I know. It's hard. Why didn't you tell us, Henry, before this happened."

"Because before it didn't matter. I don't care what those idiots say about me, they've called me names for as long as I can remember," Henry said.

"You said he called you a pussy. Why" she asked as she now stared down at the street.

"Because I have two moms and no dad," Henry said. "It didn't make me mad that he said something about you and mom being together. But when he talked like it was okay for Robin to hurt her. Then to make disgusting comments like he did, I couldn't take it, he had to shut up."

Henry was now sniffling, and Emma pulled his head into her chest, "I know kid, I would have done the same thing.

"If mom finds out, she will be so upset. I am so sorry Ma, if she finds out you kept this from her, she will be so mad at you. It could ruin everything you guys have been working towards", He said sobbing.

"I'll handle your mom kid. If she gets mad, I'll just beg for her forgiveness. But I do agree with you, it's probably not a good idea for her to know this right now," Emma said squeezing the boy gently.


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter15**

Henry felt better after his and Emma's talk. He was able to pretend his way through dinner, without tipping off his other mother. Emma watched him say goodnight and go up to his room. _How was she was going to hide Henry for two whole days without Regina finding out?_

Emma showered, but found herself back out on the roof, reclining in a lounge chair staring up at the stars.

Regina had said something about taking a bath. Maybe she needed to relax, but man did it make the Sheriff's imagination run wild. She tried to calm her thoughts, but it was to no prevail. She could picture Regina's body all soapy.

She shook her head. She needed to think about finding Robin or about Henry and his project or something. Now she could almost hear the soft sultry way the older woman had said her name when she woke her this morning.

Emma heard the rooftop top close but didn't turn around.

"I brought you a beer. I figured it might help you sleep." Emma glanced up with reddened cheeks. Regina held out an opened beer for her in one hand and she had a glass of wine in the other.

"Thank you," the blonde said with a smile as she took it.

"Your father should invest in more lounge chairs, who only buys one," Regina asked?

Emma laughed, but scooted over in her chair, and patted the seat, "Sit with me."

The chair was wide, so the queen accepted. Her shoulder rubbed the Sheriff's.

Regina smelled of apples and cinnamon, and it was like a drug. Emma wanted to be more intimate with the woman. She wanted to hold hands or cuddle, but she didn't know where they stood. She took a big gulp of beer to try and calm her thoughts.

Emma watched the brunette out of the corner of her eye. She looked so elegant sipping her wine and she looking up at the constellations. She was such a beautiful creature. Emma could never imagine hurting her. The blonde didn't noticed that she was staring at the brunette, because the Mayor was now looking at her.

"What," Regina asked with a smile.

"You're beautiful", the blonde admitted. She had to stop being scared to at least state the obvious.

Regina's eyes softened as she peered back, but she said nothing. Emma took another gulp of her beer and looked back to the sky. After a moment, the brunette scooted closer, and let her hand intertwine with the Sheriff's.

Emma's heart almost escaped her chest and she felt a fluttering in her stomach. Instead of freaking out, like her mind was doing, she continued to look at the stars.

Over ten minutes passed before the Mayor broke the silence, "I love you too."

Emma heard the words, but it was as if she couldn't believe them.

"I've been in denial for a while now. I just recently thought long and hard about it and realized that it was true," the Queen said, looking in the sky. "I've spent so many years hung up on this lion tattoo bull, that I didn't think about other possibilities. I didn't think we 'villains' could get happy endings," she explained.

"Well, maybe the tattoo was real all along. You just started looking for it too soon," Emma said.

Regina expression was serious, "Show me."

Emma was a little confused, "Show you what?"

The mayor bit on her bottom lip, "The tattoo. I want to see it again up close."

Emma picked up her beer and stood up next to the chair. Taking another big gulp, she put the nearly empty bottle on the table. The blonde unbuttoned her jeans. She folded them down to her underwear line, and then pulled the edge of her underwear down just below her hip. There sat the small tribal lion head in black ink.

Regina licked her lips as she reached out tracing her fingers over the tattoo. Emma bit her lip at the sensation of the Mayor's touch, and she inhaled slowly.

Regina looked up at the blonde's face, " It had to be you all along." The Queen got up on her knees, where she was almost as tall as Emma, because of the chair. She reached up and placed her hands against the Sheriff's cheeks, and pulled her to meet her mouth.

The blonde kissed back with all the gentleness she could muster. She had been thinking of these lips for so long and even though she had kissed them before, it was different now. These lips loved her back.

Regina pulled Emma back down to the lounge without breaking their kiss. Once the blonde was sitting, she climbed in her lap. Their mouths still moved together.

Emma's senses were on overload. She could feel the Mayor's soft lips and her strong wet tongue and the heat of the woman on her lap. She didn't want to make the Queen feel rushed, so she let her take the reigns. That way if they had to stop or continued, Emma wanted Regina to feel that she was in control.

The Mayor deepened the kiss, causing things to heat up a bit quicker. The brunette's hands slipped under the blonde's shirt. Her fingers lightly brushed Emma's skin as they slid up her rib cage, causing her breath to hitch.

Just as soft nimble fingers were to reach their destination, her phone went off in her pocket. Regina pulled back and laughed, "Answer it dear, it may be important."

Emma was trying to catch her breath and sighed as she pulled out the phone, "This better be good."

"Get to the station, I think we have a way to find Robin," Ruby said.

Emma didn't reply, she just ended the call and put the phone back into her pocket. She up into the lovely chocolate colored eyes, "Ruby thinks we might have a way to find Robin."

"That's great news, Emma," she said with a hint of a smile.

Emma slid one hand up to her cheek, and pulled the brunette to her lips for a soft kiss, then said, "I don't know when I'll be back. Will you be okay while I'm gone?"

"I'll be fine, I'll just take another sleeping pill," she smiles and she climbed off of Emma lap.

Before Emma went to leave, she refastened her pant and she kissed Regina again, "I love you."

The Queen bit her bottom lip and then said, "I love you too. Please be careful."

"Always," the blonde smiled as she exited the roof.

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Emma entered the station about ten minutes later. She was a bit frustrated, but at the same time, she was relieved to have a lead on Robin.

"What do you have, Ruby," Emma asked as she rounded the corner and spotting the other woman sitting behind her desk?

She stood and pointed towards Will who stood at the bars of his cell.

"I can find Robin," the man said.

The Sheriff walked closer to him, "How?"

"I used to be one of the Merry Men, so I know how to find him," Will said.

"And what? I'm supposed to let you out and trust that you won't double-cross us," Emma glared.

"I won't. Look I know you have no reason to trust me, but Robin is dead to me. If me helping you, get justice for the Mayor, then I will hand him to her on a platter. He broke every code he made me believe he stood for," the man said.

Emma stared at him, watching for any sign he was lying, but there was none, "Do not make me regret this Will Scarlet."

"You're joking right, love? He gives you some honor bull and you let him out just like that," Hook called from the next cell.

"Shut up Killian. This man has more honor than you would ever have. I'm surprised you know the meaning of the word," Emma said as she jiggled the cell key into the lock. It made a loud click and she open the door for Will.

"He won you and the Mayor over with his little crying show, didn't he? I'm a better actor than him," Hook said gesturing his hand towards the other man.

"Give it a rest for God's sake. I wouldn't want your eyeliner to run," Emma said over her shoulder as she walked back towards her desk.

Ruby pulled the maps off of the back shelf and started rolling them out over the Sheriff's desk. "Okay, this west side of the forest. I searched from top to bottom. Searchers have been almost everywhere else," Ruby said pointing at the map.

Will leaned over the desk, he scratched his head, "Well he won't be in the west forest."

"Why not," Emma asked?

"There is no water source. He'll not go far from the river. He needs fresh water to drink." Will continued to look at the map, "These flags here", he pointed, "are they places you've already searched?"

"Yeah, some areas twice," Ruby answered.

"Try here and here," he pointed at two separate locations along the river, in-between two of the flags.

Emma looked at Will, "Are you sure you can do this?"

The man's eyes seemed to heat up as he narrowed his eye brows, "Yes."  
Emma sighed and pulled her phone out of her pocket to call her dad.

David's voice was groggy on the other end of the line, "Yeah?"

"Hey Dad, I'm sorry I woke you. I need you to meet us out by the old mines. We think we know Robin's location."

"Headed that way", He said suddenly more alert.

Emma slipped the phone back in her pocket, "All right, let's go."

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Emma checked the clip in her gun and made sure to put a couple of extras in her pockets, just in case. Ruby had her gun, but the sheriff suspected she wouldn't need it. The anticipation and suspense alone was causing her eyes to glow yellow. Robin better watch out because the moon was nearly full.

David arrived only moments after they did but he was followed by several sets of head lights. Emma and her group watched as David climbed out of his truck. Men piled out of the four trucks that had followed him in, all with rifles and flashlights.

One of the men, Emma noticed, was one of the men that worked for the old blue eyed man, "Evening Sheriff. Thought maybe you could use a few extra men on this. Robin Hood needs to answer for what he did."

The Sheriff was a little shocked at their sudden interest, "Umm, sure, that would help out a lot."

Everyone gathered around the Sheriff to await orders. The blonde looked up and noticed that there had to be at least ten men. That didn't include Will, Ruby, her dad, or herself.

"Okay, you four are with David. Head around the north side", she said. "You four are with Ruby, and you will go east a ways and then cut back. You two, are with Will and I. we will head straight for the river."

Everyone gave their understanding and took off in there designated directions. Emma let Will take the lead. She knew he had been telling the truth, but it was still hard to trust him. He was once best friends to Robin.

They only walked about a mile into the forest, before Will said, "We're getting close."

Emma slowed her pace and motioned to the two men with them. For a second, Emma thought she could hear voices in the distance. Then she heard it again, confirming her sanity.

"You all stay here, let me go in first. I can get him to come out," Will said with pleading eyes.

The Sheriff sighed, "You got two minutes. If he doesn't appear, we come in."

Will nodded, as he walked forward. Emma made sure the other men ducked out of sight, as she did the same.

The camp was only about fifty yards through the trees, and the Sheriff could see every move Will made.

He walked up to the edge of the camp and little John came from around a tree, "Will Scarlet? How the hell have you been?"

Will laughed putting out his hand to shake the bigger man's, "Good, just got out of jail. Thought I come pay my friends a visit."

Little John grabbed his hand but then yanked him in for a bear hug, "Robin, look who's back."

Robin popped his head out of one of the tents, "Will," he yelled with a big smile.

The other Merry Men were coming out of their tents to join in the welcome, as did Marian.

Will stared hard had Robin's face, "Why did you do it, Robin?"

"What are you talking about," the thief said with a chuckle as his eyes glanced around the small crowd.

"Just come with me quietly, and no one has to see this," Will gestured him to follow with his hand.

"Have you gone bloody mad Will Scarlet," Robin asked looking around?

"You know damn well what you did, Robin. Don't make me say it," Will said through clenched teeth.

Curiosity crossed all the men's faces as they watched their leader. Marian asked, "What is he talking about Robin?"

Robin laughed, then his voice turned cold, "He is betraying his brotherhood."

"Me? I'm not the one who has preached morality and honor. We listened to you tell us that we steal from the rich to give to the poor. That we help those in need, and then turn around and do what you did." Will spit towards Robin's feet, "You are no brother of mine."

"Robin, tell me what is going on," Marian demanded.

"Tell her Robin or would you like me to," Emma said, stepping out from behind a tree. The campsite was surrounded as the rest of the hunting party appeared.

"Robin Locksley, you are under arrest for the sexual assault and attempted murder of Regina Mills," she declared.

Marian gasped and looked at her husband, "Robin, it's not true, is it?"

"Of course not, why would I" Robin began, but was interrupted by Emma.

"Because you chose Marian and Regina decided to do the honorable thing and refused to have sex with you. She refused to be your mistress. You were angry that you couldn't have your cake and eat it too."

"Fuck you, Emma Swan. You don't know anything me. I do know this is your fault," Robin hissed.

Marian's eyes never fell from her husbands. Her face displayed a horrified expression, "Robin, how could you?"

"I used to adore and admire you. I looked up to you, as if you were my big brother. I saw what you did to the Mayor's face. You are a rotten excuse for this man of honor everyone has claimed. I am ashamed to have ever met you," Will said as he turned to walk away.

Robin took a step toward him, "Will, you can't believe what she told you." He pointed to Emma, "She's a lying whore just like Regina."

Will spun around and stomped back to Robin, shoving him in the chest, "Regina told me this. I saw her face, I saw the pain in her eyes. No one is lying but you."

Robin's eyes went black as the thief pulled a knife from his back pocket and jabbed between Will's ribs. He made no sound as he fell to the ground.

"WILL," Emma screamed as she pulled the trigger on her pistol, shooting Robin in the right shoulder. The thief screamed out in pain and grabbed his arm. David handcuffed him while Emma went to aide Mr. Scarlet.

Will was on the ground taking short but fast breathes, "It's going to be okay buddy. I think he punctured your lung. We're going to get you to the hospital okay, just stay with us."

Marian had come to assist the blonde, ignoring the rapist she had called husband.

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The sun was almost up and Regina and Snow had been sitting at the table together since David got the call from Emma. The mayor couldn't go to sleep, and the shorter haired brunette couldn't go back to sleep. They were both nervous wrecks.

Mary Margret put a fresh pot of coffee on when they heard footsteps coming up the stairs. Regina was holding her breath. She was afraid of what she might see. Emma could be hurt or maybe they didn't find him.

As the door opened, both women stood up. David entered first, looking tired. Directly behind him came Emma. looking equally drained.

Snow ran over to hug her husband. Regina wanted to be in Emma's arms but she wasn't sure if this was the time, so she asked, "So, what happened?"

Emma looked at David as he released his wife to retrieve coffee cups for his daughter and himself. She walked up to Regina looking in her eyes. The mayor thought she was going to throw up from the suspense.

"We got him," Emma said as she pressed her forehead to Regina's.

An uncontrollable sob escaped the other woman's throat. Tears fell from her eyes as she tried to think of something to say. Emma just wrapped her arms around the other woman. The Mayor let her sobs of relieve free.

"It's over. He can't hurt you anymore," Emma whispered in her hair.

After a few quiet moments, Regina pulled back from the hug, "What now?"

David passed a cup to his daughter, "Now, we will have to gather the members of the town for a meeting to decide his fate."

A sarcastic laugh came from Regina, "Great, they'll let him go, and blame me for this."

Emma narrowed her eyebrows, "No they won't. They'll be fair."

"I was never fair to them, so why are they going to be fair to me? I'm screwed," Regina threw up her hands and started pacing.

Emma put her mug on the table. She walked over and put her arms around the other woman again, "Regina, I promise it will be different. They will make him pay for what he did."

This town hated her, and they adored their dear Robin Hood. Regina had done wrong to so many people, "When will the meeting be?"

David brought the coffee cup down from his lips, "Probably around two o'clock. Ruby's going to spread the word through the diner and Belle."

"What's going on," Henry asked from the bottom of the stairs?

Regina didn't say anything so Mary Margret spoke, "Robin's in custody."

Henry let out a huge sigh of relief, "How did you guys find him?"

"Will helped us. He was also able to give Mr. Hood a piece of his mind," Emma said with a tight-lipped smile.

"I need to go and thank him for helping my mom", Henry said excitedly.

Emma looked at David and he looks back. Regina could see the trepidation in their eyes, "Well, it may be a bit before you can talk to him. Maybe in a day or two."

Henry narrowed his eyes, "Don't tell me you put him back in jail after he helped you".

"He's in the hospital, Henry. Robin stabbed him after he told Robin he was done with him," Emma said.

"What? He stabbed his best friend," Henry exclaimed.

"He raped his 'supposed' true love. I don't think a friend would have much standing with him either," Regina rolled her eyes at herself. "I'm sorry, dear. I didn't mean that to come out the way it sounded."

Henry shrugged, "Its okay mom, I get your point either way."

The Queen felt horrible for the man she had seen break down in the jail that night. She hoped he would be all right. Then her mind went to Marian and Roland, "What happened to Marian?"

"I'm not sure. After Will was stabbed, she assisted me. She and the rest of the Merry men turned their backs on Robin," Emma explained.

"Well since he's locked up, I expect that I can move back into my house at some point tomorrow," Regina said a bit cold.

Emma's eyes shot up, and the brunette could see that she was hurt. The last thing she wanted to do was hurt Emma, but she missed her own house, not to mention all the work she was behind on.

Emma responded, "I'm sure it could be arranged." As the sheriff walked passed the mayor, the brunette grabbed her arm and pulled her into a kiss.

"When I said I loved you, I meant it", she said releasing the blonde.

The other three people in the room just stood there staring wide eyed at the couple.


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter16**

Mary Margret and Emma brought Regina back to the mansion early the next morning. There were lots of things that needed to be done before the meeting this afternoon. Emma had agreed to let Mary Margret bring the Mayor to the office early. She was going to help the shorter haired brunette before things got under way.

Regina worried all night and this morning about the meeting. She had made herself sick thinking of how the residents of Storybrooke would vote. There was no way they would choose her over Robin over her. Emma saw him attempt to rape her for the second time, but how many residents were going to say she deserved it? There were several of them that already said as much.

Emma rushed off to meet David at the station, so Mary Margret stayed with Regina. She somewhat wished Henry were here with her. He left for school early again, and again she didn't get to make breakfast for him.

Mary Margret had gone into the kitchen to make the two women some coffee. Regina sat in the study listing to the message on her answering machine when the doorbell rang. She sighed at the interruption, but got up and answered the door. A tall slender man stood with a serious expression. Beside him was a teenage boy around Henry's age. He was nervous and chewing on his thumbnail.

"Yes, can I help you," the Mayor asked?

"Hi, Madam Mayor, I'm John Tanner. My son would like to speak with Henry, about yesterday's altercation."

Regina was confused, "What altercation?"

Mr. Tanner shoved his son with his elbow to indicate that it was his turn to speak.

"The fight we got into yesterday. I wanted to apologize to him and you, ma'am," Jason said not looking the Mayor in the eyes.

The expression remained on her face, "I wasn't told of any fight, and Henry didn't look like he had been in a fight."

She did remember the way he had come home and went straight to his room.

The tall man nudged his son again, "It is because he hit me, ma'am, I didn't hit him."

"What? Henry hit you and I wasn't told about it," she said rather than asked.

Mary Margret had come into the entry way when she had heard the doorbell. She was in shock that Henry would ever be involved in a fight, and at school no less.

"Yes ma'am, but it was my fault," the boy said. He looked at his dad and then back to the ground, "I said some stuff yesterday that sent him over the edge."

Regina looked at Mr. Tanner then back to the boy puzzled, "What could you have said to make Henry hit you." She paused to the let the boy answer, and then changed her mind, "It doesn't matter, he knows better than to fight. He is so grounded."

"Don't do that ma'am. He had every right, even my dad said he would have kicked my ass for saying it," Jason said with shame plastered on his face.

Regina swallowed, "What did you say?"

The teen looked at his dad, "Do I have to?"

Mr. Tanner glared at him, "I said that whoever raped you was lucky," he stopped. His father nudged him again, "And that I would do you."

Tears started to well up in her eyes and her stomach felt queasy. She couldn't say anything, even if words would have entered her mind, her body would not allow her to speak.

Mary Margret appeared beside her at the door, she placed a comforting hand on Regina's arm. She asked the boy, "What did Henry do?"

"I didn't even finish my sentence to my friends, and he hit me in the face with his book", both the Mayor and Snow were wide-eyed. He continued, "Then he grabbed me by my shirt and told me that I could say anything I wanted about him. But if I ever said anything about you or the Sheriff again, he would punch my face in."

The shorter haired brunette grabbed her mouth as she gasped in surprise.

"He should have punched your face in," the father said glaring at his son. He looked at the Mayor with sincerity, "Madam Mayor, I am so sorry for this, I didn't raise my boy this way I swear."

Regina didn't respond she was still in shock as she backed away from the door. She had to call the school and see why no one contacted her about this.

As the Mayor disappeared back into the house Mary Margret told Mr. Tanner, "Thank you for coming by. I am sure the Mayor accepts your apology, but she has a lot on her mind. Thank you for stopping by and have a good day."

As Snow shut the door, Regina had made it to the phone to dial the school. After a couple of rings, a woman with a timid voice answered. The Mayor barked, "This is Regina Mills and I need to speak with Mr. Cooper immediately."

"Uh, Mayor Mills, the uh principal is in a meeting at the moment can I have him call you back," the woman stuttered out?

"No, I want to know why I was not informed of a fight that my son was in yesterday," she snapped in annoyance.

"Please hold one moment, uh, and I'll get the Principal on the line," the woman said.

Only a few seconds went by and the man answered, "Mayor Mills, this is Principal Coo"

"I know who the hell you are. Why was I not informed about the fight that took place yesterday," She interrupted?

"Uh Madam Mayor, Henry begged us not to call you," He said.

"And since when are the children running your school Mr. Cooper," the Mayor asked?

"I am in full control of the children at this school Mayor, but his other mother said she would take care of this. I told her that with his skipping school and the fight, that I needed to call you since you are his legal guardian."

"You mean to tell me Emma Swan was first contacted," she hissed?

"Madam Mayor, Henry was suspended for two days for the incident. They didn't want you to know right now because they thought." Regina refused to hear anymore and she slammed the phone down.

"Are you kidding me right now," she shouted at no one. For a brief moment, her ex-step-daughter thought it was directed at her.

She couldn't believe this, her son and her... Well..., and Emma had lied to her. Where the hell was Henry if he wasn't at school. Apparently, when her son wasn't getting into fights, he was skipping school?

She pulled her cell phone out of her blazer pocket and dialed the Sheriff.

"Yeah, this is the sheriff", Emma voiced called.

"Where the hell do you get off lying to me," Regina yelled?

"Umm, what are you talking about," Emma asked while seeming distracted?

"A Mr. Tanner just came to the house to apologize to me, for our son beating up his son. Then I call the school to find out why I wasn't informed. I learn that you and Henry convinced the principal, that I didn't need to know. Then I learn that Henry's skipping school, and he's been suspended for two days".

There was a moment's pause on the other end of the line, and then Emma sighed, "Regina, I can explain."

"Please do Miss. Swan because I am all ears", the Mayor growled.

"Henry begged me not to tell you. He was worried that you had too much to worry about already. I disagreed with him at first, but"Emma started.

"But what? You are acting like I am suddenly incompetent to handle my own son. I was attacked, not killed, I am still here, and you can't keep things like this from me. I'm supposed to be able to trust you, and you've just proven that I can't. Where is Henry," the Mayor interrupted.

"He's at the library with Belle", the Sheriff said quietly.

Regina ended the call, and looked at Mary Margret, "We need to get to the town hall as soon as we can. I need to have a talk with my son."

SQSQSQSQSQSQ

Emma looked at the phone in her hand. She knew this conversation would happen. She just thought she'd have a little more time and be able to break it to the Mayor more gently. Why was every decision Emma made seem to be the wrong one?

She looked at David, "Do you think that you can get Robin to the town hall, I have to talk to Regina, it's important?"

"Yeah, Ruby's coming back in a bit, she can help me," he said with a shrug.

Emma didn't say anything. She walked out the door and jumped into the nearest cruiser. Her bug wasn't as fast and she needed to intercept the Mayor.

She peeled out of the parking lot, more by accident than necessity. She didn't know how close Regina would be to getting to the town hall. She couldn't let her jump all over Henry without hearing her out first.

When Emma came around the corner she was just in time to see Mary Margret and David's truck pull up, "Shit."

She swung the cruiser up in front of the truck, before the other two women had even parked, and hopped out.

Regina climbed out of the truck and glared at the blonde, "Who taught you to drive, Miss. Swan?"

"Regina you have to listen to me," Emma said making her way to the Mayor.

"I don't have to do a damned thing. You listen to me. The next time you want to kiss up to me so that you can hide things from me, think again," the brunette hissed.

Emma stepped in front of the other woman and stopped her from moving forward, "It's not like that, listen to me, please. Henry begged me not to tell you. He was trying to do something nice for you and"

"Get out of my way Miss. Swan, I don't want to hear your excuses," she snapped.

Emma grabbed the mayor by the shoulders, "God damn it, Regina. It's the truth. He was being bullied at school and had a bad day, so he walked out of 7th period. The same 7th-period class he got into a fight in the next day. The teacher had been letting this go on for a long time, but Henry didn't want to worry us. He begged me not to tell you because he didn't want you to get upset".

Regina pushed the Sheriff's hand away from her, "You should have told me. He is all I have in this world and you kept it from me." Tears were falling down the Mayor's cheeks as she continued, "I was supposed to be able to trust you."

"Regina, please. You can trust me. I'm sorry, I should have told you, but you didn't see the pain I saw in his eyes when he thought you would be upset. I didn't mean to lie or hide anything from you, I did it for him," The sheriff said grabbing Regina's hand.

Emma wrapped her arms around her, "I promise I won't lie to about our son or anything else, ever again."

Regina relaxed into the hug, laying her head on the blonde's shoulder, "You better not, because I can't take this."

Emma kissed the top of the brunette's head, "It won't happen again. I promise you will be the first to know if something else happens."

Regina raised her head and wiped her tears. Mary Margret had been standing by the truck afraid to get closer. Instead, she tried to pretend she wasn't there. She felt a little awkward watching the two, but she was happy for them if things were working out.

"We need to get inside and start setting up for the meeting," Snow said softly.

SQSQSQSQSQSQSQ

Regina hadn't noticed the new windows on the outside of the building or the new coat of paint. She was so distracted by Henry being worried about her. She was worried how she would feel walking back into her office. Lastly, she was worried what the people were going to say when it came to Robin.

Once they reached the office, she gasped at the beautiful stained glass on the door. It was a giant Apple tree with apples on the ground. It was gorgeous. She was shocked. She thought the man was going to replace the window that he would replace it with a simple piece of glass. Judging from the look on Emma's face, she hadn't expected that either.

She opened the door and stepped inside. Regina was amazed at how clean and untouched the room looked. Everything was in its rightful place. She did notice the missing décor, but she was well aware of where they were.

As she walked further into the room, she noticed the colors that came in through the windows. She walked over to one and pulled the curtain back. Similar to the door, the window was stained glass as well. The difference was this one depicted a woman with long brunette hair riding a black horse. Regina's eyes began to water, it was her when she was young. She quickly walked to the next window and pulled the curtain back. It too was stained glass and the image was a brunette holding a baby. A tear escaped, and she went to the next to the last window. Pulling the curtain back, revealed the brunette, with a small boy as they sat on a bench under an apple tree. More tears fell as she opened the curtain on the last window. This window was different. It had an open story book with the words Happy Ending written on the pages.

Regina put her hand over her mouth. It was breathtaking. The man had turned her happiest moments into works of art.

"Wow, this is incredible", the blonde said looking from window to window.


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter17**

Regina stood in her office, still in awe of the windows. _Why had the old man done such extravagant glass for her?_ Emma had to be in on this, but then she did seem surprised too. The blonde did say Henry was working on a surprise for her, maybe this was it.

Henry entered the office carrying some papers. He jumped when he noticed his mother standing there, his eyes were the size of saucers, "Hey Mom. I didn't know you were coming so soon. I can explain."

Regina wiped the rest of the tears from her face, "Don't bother. I already know why you're not in school. We will discuss that later. Is this what you've been working on," she motioned towards the windows.

Henry looked up at each widow, "Wow! No, I didn't know about these. I thought the guy was just putting in regular windows."

The Mayor saw the papers in his hand, "What are those?"

The teenager slid them behind his back really quickly, "Umm nothing important. I, umm, need to go find grandma," he said before turning and running from the office.

Regina was a little surprised, but then narrowed her eyebrows in suspicion, "What is he up to?"

The brunette sat down in her chair and leaned back glancing at the clock on the wall. It was not too much longer before the meeting would start. A sudden over whelming feeling of nausea hit her and for a second she thought she would be sick right here. There was no way the town would be on her side about this. She leaned forward in her seat with one hand on her stomach and the other propped on the desk holding her head. Images of that night flashed through her mind. She closed her eyes in an attempt to fight them. Her mind was now racing and she didn't know rather she would throw up or run. _Would Emma stand up to the residents if they went against her?_ What good would it do if she did? if they let the residents choose Robin's punishment, then there was nothing the blonde would be able to do.

Hands gripped her shoulders, causing Regina to gasp loudly and jump.

"Whoa there, it's just me", Emma said with her hands now slowly massaging the brunette's shoulders.

"You scared the shit out of me," the Mayor said as she tried to calm herself.

"I'm sorry, that wasn't my intentions. Are you okay? You seem a little distraught," the blonde asked.

Regina turned her chair to face the Sheriff, "I don't think I can do this, Emma."

Emma knelt down in front of the Mayor placing her hands on the other woman's knees, "It's going to be okay, Regina. I promise you."

"You can't make a promise like that. Every person in this town has one reason or another to hate me. They'll prove it today", the older woman said as tears filled her eyes again.

The Sheriff reached up placing her hand softly on the Mayor's face, "I won't let anyone hurt you again. If they were to choose him over you, I will over rule and choose his fate myself."

Regina shook her head and chuckled lightly. She knew that was ridicules. Emma probably would, but going against the whole town's decision would be suicide. It may not be in the literal sense of the word, but she would definitely become a leper.

Emma leaned in and placed a soft kiss on the older woman's lips. She looked into chocolate eyes, "Look, I know you're scared, but I won't let anyone hurt you."

"Neither will we," Ruby called from the door way, with Granny by her side.

"Me neither", Henry's voice came from the hallway.

"David and I are on your side too Regina", Mary Margret's said.

Regina smiled at Emma as a tear escaped her eye.

The blonde laughed, "See, not everyone in town is against you."

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Red left for the station a while ago. Regina knew that she and David would return soon, with Robin, and of course the town's people. Emma and Snow went to ensure everything was together for the make shift trial that was soon to take place.

Regina was grateful for what everyone had said to her earlier, but the truth was that it didn't make her fear go away. She had done so many heinous things that she felt she would deserve whatever they threw at her. Voices came through the closed door alerting her that residents were arriving.

Nausea was back with vengeance, and she needed to get to the bathroom. She took off out of the office and went straight into the bathroom. The brunette went up to the sink and turned on the water. She suddenly felt clammy and almost as though she might pass out. Running her hands under the cool water she splashed some on her face and then patted her wet hands on her neck.

Reaching over to the paper towel dispenser, she noticed the bathroom window in the mirror. The mayor pulled off some towel and patted her face and neck dry, before turning to get a better look at the glass. It too was stained glass, but this one she didn't recognize. It was beautiful, but the meaning wasn't clear to her. It was a beautiful white swan wearing a crown on its head.

A knock came from the bathroom door, "Mom? Are you okay in there?"

The brunette turned and unlocked the door. Henry stepped inside looking at his mother with concern "Are you okay?"

Regina smiled, "I'll be fine, just nerves."

"Wow, he did stained glass in here too", the teenager asked looking passed his mom?

The Mayor turned to face the glass, "Yes, and it's beautiful, but I don't understand the meaning of this one."

Henry stared at it for a minute, but then his eyebrows shot up into his hairline, "I get it!"

Regina frowned at her son, "Well, would you like to share with the class?"

The boy laughed, "Swan Queen."

The brunette still looked puzzled, so her son said, "Emma is the swan, and you're the queen."

"Oh. Wait, how would the glass maker know," Regina said with surprise.

"Mom, really? Everyone one knows," Henry rolled his eyes.

"Well, they're going to start the meeting, everyone is already here. Come to find out, everyone was waiting outside for like an hour," the boy said.

"I'll be there in a few, I need a minute, but I'm fine," she said.

Before he turned to head back to the meeting room, he smiled, "It's going to be okay mom, I promise."

As the queen watched her son jog back down to the meeting room, she swallowed the bile that rose. _Why did everyone feel the need to promise her things that they had no control over?_

As she started down the hall to her destination, she could hear people. She stopped outside the door to listen.

"You people really can't believe I would do something like this, do you," Robin's voice carried over the room?

The Mayor's heart sank, if everyone believed him what was she going to do?

"I saw you attack Mayor Mills for the second time," Emma said.

"You saw a misunderstanding," He called back.

Regina pressed her back against the wall, tilted her back and closed her eyes as she listened.

"So I guess it was a misunderstanding when I saw you hold the mayor down against her will. What about when you tried to remove her pants," Emma asked sarcastically?

"She likes it rough. Do you really think the Evil Queen likes to make love gently," the Mayor could hear the smirk in his voice.

Tears were starting to fall now, and there was nothing she could do to stop it. No one would believe her, and he had an answer for everything.

"Why don't you ask the Sheriff, mate, she would know", Hook's voice called.

"Go to hell Killian," Emma yelled.

"If you are such an honorable man, Robin. Tell everyone the truth about what happened in the Mayor's office Friday night," Emma said.

"I wouldn't know. I was in camp with my wife and son," He said.

Regina's eyes shot open when she felt a hand touch her arm. Marian was standing before her with sad eyes. She smiled, "Why don't we both go in and stand up to him."

The brunette wiped her eyes and took a deep breath, as she followed her current enemy's wife into the room.

Marian spoke as soon as they were over the threshold, "Tell the truth, Robin. You weren't with your son nor were you with your wife Friday night. You didn't show up until after midnight."

All eyes were now on the two women who had just entered. Regina tried to hold her head up, but she found it difficult to look any one person in the face.

Robin's smirk left his face, "Marian? What are you doing?"

"I'm telling the truth, Robin," his wife said.

"But it's the Evil Queen. She took you away from us and had you killed. If it weren't for Miss. Swan, you wouldn't be here," he said pointing towards Regina.

"You know, I have thought about that a lot since I was brought here. I was so angry at her for taking my son from his mother and taking me from you. The longer I was here the more I could see the good in her. The only monster I see now is you," a single tear fell from her eye.

"You choose the Evil Queen over your own husband, love," Hook asked surprised?

"I choose truth over the betrayal. I choose the victim over the villain, so if that is what you mean, then yes, I choose the Queen. The evil Queen no longer exists," Marian said as she stepped closer to Regina and put her arm around her shoulder.

"There isn't even any proof that I did this, so you're taking her side for no reason," he called.

David stood from the chair he was in, "Here is a confirmed DNA match. It shows that Robin Hood's DNA was found inside Regina Mills, Friday night."

"That doesn't prove anything. We were together, we had sex all the time," He said with a smile, "Besides that, I know you're lying because you don't have my DNA."

"Yes they do, because I gave it to them," Little John shouted from the doorway.

"Little John, my brother, what is this," Robin asked eyeing the room?

"I heard what you said to Will last night, we all did. You stabbed him because he was the first to stop believing your lies." Little John crossed his arms over his chest. The other Merry Men entered the room, with the same expression that their bigger friend wore.

Little John finished, "We all are done listening to your shit. Just like Will had said, you broke every code we stand for."

"Tell the people what happened, Robin. Maybe they'll show you leniency," Emma glared.

Robin glared back, but then looked at Regina, "Why don't you tell them what happened witch."

Anger was rising in the Queen's chest, "Oh, do you want me to tell everyone how you snuck into the building and hit me. Or how you tried to force me to the couch in my office, but I wouldn't give in. Or how you thought maybe the conference table was a great place, but that didn't work out either. Maybe the desk was the best idea. But when that wasn't working you decided to punch me, again and again, until I was almost unconscious. You broke my cheek bone and split my lip," tears were falling from her eyes, but her voice was strong. "You threw me over my desk and as I was bleeding to death, raped me."

Robin laughed, "You liked it, you whore."

Henry ran towards the thief. "You piece of shit", he shouted as he drew back his fist and punched the man as hard as he could. Robin's head to fling to one side. The man's lip was now bleeding, anger flashed in his eyes and he grabbed Henry by his shirt, lifting him up.

A bright surge of white light flew towards the thief. It hit him causing him to release Henry and knocked the man to the ground.

"You keep your filthy fucking hands of my son, or you won't have to worry about what the people of this town decides. I will end you," Regina hissed.

Every person in the room stood, except for Hook, of course. The Mayor was so infuriated with the man she had once believed to be her true love, that she hadn't noticed the crowd. After a moment, her eyes moved around the room. The people had displeased looks on their faces. She knew they would choose Robin now because she had just used magic. No matter what they chose, she would always protect her son.

The old man with bright blue eyes spoke, "Madam Mayor, we the people relinquish our power to choose. We give the choice to you."

Regina narrowed her eyebrows in confusion. She looked around the room and into each person's face, "Is this some sort of test, to see if I would kill him or not? To see if I am still the Evil Queen?"

The blue-eyed man smiled, "No. If you were going to kill him, he would be dead. The only difference this time, no one here would have stopped you or judged you for it."

More tears flowed, "I would have killed him. I thought of different ways to do it even, but it won't change what he did. I can't make the feeling of what happened to go away. So killing him doesn't change anything," she turned to look at Marian, "What do you think we should do?"

Marian's eyes were watery as well, "I think He and Hook should be banished to the Enchanted Forest. They should be forbidden to ever return."

"Come on love, I didn't do anything to the Mayor, she is the one stealing from me," Hook stood as he yelled.

Marian snapped her head towards the pirate, "She can't steal something that was never your's. Had you ever stood for anything other than yourself, you wouldn't be here now."

Regina glanced around the room, "All in favor of banishment for the two criminals say I."

Every person, other than the two men in handcuffs, shouted I.

David stood, "Okay, we will take these two back to the station until the banishment is to take place. We will find out what options are available to us through Gold." The prince nodded towards his wife, who nodded back, "Then we will let everyone know the time and place."

Ruby and David collected the two men and exited the room. Regina had excused herself from the meeting room and went back to her office. She was shocked by the people's reaction. They had been on her side. Marian was one of many who should still hate her. She did lock her up and kill her once. Well sort of, and then finds out that the monster that killed her was also a home wrecker.

She sat down behind her desk and took in a deep breath before slowly releasing it. _What was with the man with the blue eyes, and why did he go out of his way to make these beautiful windows?_

There was a tap on the office glass.

"Yeah," the Mayor called.

Mary Margret poked her head in, "Madam Mayor, there is someone who would like to have a word with you."

Regina looked at the other woman, "All right, send them in."

To her surprise, it was the blue-eyed man. He held his hat in his hands as he walked a few more steps into the room, "I wanted to see how you liked the windows."

The Mayor smiled, "They are the most beautiful stained glass I have ever seen. I don't understand why you did this for me, did we know each other in the Enchanted Forest."

He smiled back, "No. I was a peasant, so you wouldn't have any reason to know me."

Regina stood up and walked around the desk, "Then why did you do it?"

He rubbed his balding head, "I didn't know you in the Enchanted Forest, so I had no reason to hate you. I had heard of you, but everyone did. My greatest sin was not standing up for you sooner."

Regina narrowed her eyebrows, "I'm not sure I follow."

He smiled again and continued, "When Ruby stood up for you that day in the diner. I listened to what she said about everyone being lucky to be here, and she was right."

"What, because of plumbing and electricity", the Mayor asked confused?

"No. My wife and I had three children when we were in the Enchanted Forest. Our first son, Theo, died in his crib when he was only a couple of months old. Our second child was a girl we called Kara. When she was three, a type of small pox came through our village and took every child including her. Our third child, Franklin lived until he was twelve. We thought finally we had made it, that we would be able to keep at least one of our children. But then an ogre attacked the village. Our son was in the way as the ogre threw a horse drawn cart. It killed him instantly. An ogre, can you believe it? Well, my wife was so stricken with grief. We never tried for another child. Just before you cast the curse, my wife became ill. The doctor's had no idea what was wrong with her and we had no money to find a magic healer. When we woke up here, of course we had no memories of our old lives, but my wife's sickness was gone. If you would not have cast that curse, not only lose all my children, but I would have lost my wife as well. For that, I owe you everything. I am only sorry I didn't come forward sooner," the man explained.

The story affected the Mayor deeply, "You do realize I had no control over that, don't you? I mean I had no idea that I was saving her."

The man smiled again, "I know, but the choice you made, set many other things into motion, and for that I am grateful."

Regina walked up to the man and hesitated. She wanted to hug this amazing man, but she was afraid she was being too forward or inappropriate. Before she could think any more on it, he wrapped his arms around her and whispered, "Thank you, your Majesty."


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter18**

Mary Margret tapped on the office door a second time, "Madam Mayor, there are few more things that we need to discuss. Even though you're not officially back until Monday, we think it would be a good idea if you sit in on this one."

Regina tilted her head to the side as she looked over the blue-eyed man's shoulder, "What is it about?"

The shorter haired brunette smiled, "Umm I don't know all the details, but I but I'm sure we'll get to the bottom of it soon."

The Mayor looked back to the old man, "Before I go, what's your name?"

He smiled, "It's Antone."

"It is nice to meet you, Antone. Now we know each other," She smiled.

The man smiled back and offered his elbow, "Shall we?"

Regina took the offered arm by draping her hand through, and he escorted her back into the meeting hall. Once they entered, everyone turned to look at her. As she walked, each person she passed knelt down on one knee and bowed their heads.

The Mayor tilted her head in bewilderment. She glanced up to the stage where her son was standing behind the podium. He must have been addressing the crowd while she was in the office.

Antone escorted the Queen to the stage, and then he turned and sat down. Regina looked at her son. She then turned to Emma, "What's going on?"

No one answered her. She was getting nervous but also irritated. She couldn't handle a joke right now.

Henry smiled at his mom and pointed to a chair that was seated in front of the podium. "If you would please have a seat, we will get under way."

Regina's scan of the Sheriff, Snow, and Granny's face showed no signs of teasing. Instead of arguing, she sat down. She looked around the room. She saw a piece of paper in each person's hand.

"Mr. Tanner, you wanted to tell the Mayor something", Henry asked as he motioned towards the man?

The slender man that Regina had met this morning stood up, "We owe you an apology Madam Mayor, not the other way around." Mr. Tanner said standing, "My wife died giving birth to our son. In the Enchanted Forest, and I was going mad. I had no idea how to care for a baby and had no money to feed him. The truth is I was so angry at this helpless infant for taking my wife from me that I wanted to be rid of him. I found a woman who was willing to pay me a little silver and I sold him. I then felt guilty and decided the best thing to do was to go down to the tavern and drink it away. Of course, the drinking didn't help. I spent most of my time feeling sorry for myself, and wondering how much my wife would hate me. I was walking home from the tavern. I stumbled into the road as a carriage approached. The Evil Queen stepped out shouting insults at me in my drunken stupor. I'm not sure why but she asked me why I chose to waste my life away by staying drunk. I told her my story, and she got furious with me. She told me she should kill me and put me out of my misery, and that my son deserved better than what I had become. She ripped my heart from my chest in her anger. She told me that she had crushed a many of men's hearts, and that mine would be no different. At that moment, I wanted her too. I think she saw it in my eyes. She shoved my heart back into place and told me she wouldn't do someone like me any favors. She threw a change purse at me and told me she was giving me one last chance at redemption. I could go and get my son or prove that I was a low life." He looked up at the mayor who looked as though she may have remembered the encounter. "Well, as you can see, I made my choice," he said as he nodded his head towards the boy that had bullied her son.

The Mayor swallowed. She did remember the conversation that took place so many years ago. She had been so angry at what the man had done, that she wanted to kill him. There had been times in her life when she had wondered what path the man had chosen.

Mr. Tanner wiped a tear from his eye and looked back at the Mayor, "I'm sure you've heard of the butterfly effect." The Queen nodded, "Well, I think that not all our choices are at the time directly related. You may not have really intended to help me in the Enchanted Forest, but in turn, you changed my life."

The blue-eyed man stood, "I agree with him one hundred and ten percent. Had you not cast the curse, for whatever reasons you had, my wife would have died in our land."

Mother Superior stood, "Those of us fairies have learned more about being human here. We understand more about human emotion and desire. This helps us to be able to help all of you if the situation were to arise. We also know, that if it weren't for Regina, there would be no orphanage or schools for your children."

Dr. Whale rose, "The Queen is also responsible for all the state of the art medical equipment. She also ensures that all new and other needed medications are shipped into town."

Henry smiled, "How do the people vote in regards to Regina Mill being the Evil Queen?"

Regina was shocked, but now at Henry's question. She was a little more optimistic this time around, only because of the people who have spoken up.

"Not guilty," came the first voice from somewhere in the back. Then the 'not guilty' responses erupted like a wave through the crowd. Every person in the room said the words. Finally, it reached Henry who repeated the phrase, and then to Granny, Snow, and finally Emma.

Regina gasped at the happenings, as tears filled her eyes. She didn't know how to respond. Everyone in the room decided to kneel again including the members that were on the stage with her.

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After the meeting was over and everyone had left, Regina decided it was time to go. Emma could see how much it had affected the older woman. To have the entire town admit that they no longer deemed her the Evil Queen, was a big deal. The Sheriff could see a new light that shined in the Queen's eyes and it made the blonde's heart warm.

Emma had said good night to her mother and friends, while she helped turn off lights and lock the doors. Henry went home with his grandmother. He said he wanted to go to sleep, but his birth mother was suspicious. She figured he was trying to give his mom's some time to talk.

The Sheriff pulled her bug in behind Regina's car. David had driven the Mayor's car home for her so it was one less thing for either of the women to worry about.

Emma climbed out at the same time as the mayor and walked her to the door. She didn't want to go back to the loft alone. She dreaded the thought of not sleeping with the older woman in her arms, but maybe Regina needed time. Not only with the subject of them, but tonight has been a lot to take in.

As they came to the entrance, the Mayor fished her keys out of her purse and unlocked her door. Turning the door knob she looked at the Sheriff nervously, "Would you like to come in for a drink?"

The blonde thought it would be best if she declined, but her heart told her to agree, "Umm, sure."

Emma followed the brunette through the door and up to the study. She had been in this room more times than she could count, but it seemed different now. Not as in different furniture, or decor, but different as in the atmosphere. Usually, when she had come to this place, she and Regina were not getting along in once sense or another.

She watched Regina poured the two of them a glass of cider each and then passed Emma hers.

Regina took a sip and closed her eyes, "I can't believe what happened tonight."

"I promised they wouldn't be on Robin's side", Emma smiled and then took a gulp of her cider.

"There is no way you could have known that they would vote against him," the brunette said.

"Okay, I'm not psychic. I can say the odds were more in my favor. Besides, I wouldn't have walked out of that building without them on your side," Emma said.

Regina laughed and shook her head, "I take it back."

The blonde swallowed what was left in her glass and then asked, "You take what back?"

"When I said you never had my back. I take it back, because you've done nothing but be supportive," Regina explained.

Emma just smiled at the other woman. _What was she supposed to say to that_? She liked to think she always had Regina's back in the past, but the truth was it was for Henry, at first. She made choices that Henry wanted when it came to the other woman. All the blonde knew now was she chose to be on the brunette's side. It's not only because it was the right thing to do, but because she was in love with her.

"Would you like to sit down," the Queen gestured towards the sofa, "I can get you another drink."

Emma's head was spinning for a second, "I don't think that's a good idea, maybe I should go."

Hurt and confusion flashed in the older woman's eyes, "Why? What's wrong?"

The sheriff sat her glass down on the coffee table and chewed her lip. "I know you need your space and time to deal with everything that's happened, and I respect that. I'm just afraid that drinking alcohol with me right now's not a good idea. I want nothing more but to hold you and to make love to you. The last thing I want to do is rush you. I would be willing to wait forever if I had too, but if I stay, I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to resist wanting to touch you."

Regina sat her glass down and walked quickly over to the blonde and grabbed her hand, "Please stay. I won't be able to sleep tonight if you're not beside me."

Emma closed her eyes and sighed as she leaned her forehead against Regina's, "What are you doing to me woman?"

The Queen smiled, "I assure you, Miss. Swan, you're not the only one affected."

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Henry sat in the booth across from Mary Margret. David agreed to take the night shift so that his daughter could be with the Mayor. Granny invited to the whole town back to the diner as a celebration. She seemed disappointed at first when the guest of honor declined the invitation. The Mayor had been through a lot and needed to go home and get some rest.

Henry looked at his Grandmother, "Do you think true love will help my mom's stay together?"

The shorter hair brunette smiled, "True love always prevails. Your moms are tougher than people give them credit for. They're both far too stubborn to give up, so I think they have several things in their favor."

Henry smiled, "Your right."

"Excuse me, Henry," Jason was standing next to their table looking down.

"What do you want," Henry asked as he glared?

"Can we talk for a minute," the other boy asked as he pointed to the exit?

Henry looked up at Mary Margret who smiled, "Go and talk."

Henry sighed climbing up from the booth. He let the boy follow him outside. He realized that almost every kid that had ever teased was surrounding him. His eyes grew wide, "What is this? Are you all going to jump me or something?"

Jason looked up in surprise, "Nah man, we wanted to apologize for the way we all treated you."

Henry raised his eyebrow skeptically, "What? Did all your parents say you had to apologize?"

Every head shook to or show the answer was no, then Jason said, "No. My dad only made me apologize to your mom, he wanted me to apologize to you yesterday, but you weren't home. The truth is that I didn't want to, not until tonight."

"What changed your mind," Henry asked?

The boy glanced around into the faces of all the other kids, "Well, I was stupid and blind before. I heard the horrible things that Robin did to your mom, and felt bad about what I said. I guess when I made the comments I didn't think about what had actually happened. Then you gave everyone those papers to show how she has literally been caring for every person here. We now can see all of the amazing things she has done for everyone. It made me realize what a great son you were for standing up for her. The only thing I've done is give my dad a hard time. We're all sorry for the name calling, and shoving and anything else that we did to you. The truth is, you are the kind of guy we should all strive to be."

The other boys that stood around him all nodded their heads in agreement. Henry was a little surprised, but he was still a bit on edge. These guys had bullied him for years, and he was completely taken aback by this group apology. Never in a million year would he have thought this would even be remotely a possibility.

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Emma sat on the edge of the Mayor's bed. She had stripped down to her tank top and boy shorts. The blonde was waiting nervously for the Mayor to come out of the bathroom. She kept telling herself, she would just hold the mayor, like she had done for the past several nights, and go to sleep.

The door clicked as Regina came out of the bathroom. She had her thigh high silk robe on and looked a little anxious herself.

The Sheriff rubbed her hand lightly over her thighs. She was trying hard not to pay too much attention to the gorgeous brunette. Emma's stomach fluttered as she watched the older woman walk towards her. She had expected her to direct her to the side of the bed she wanted her to sleep on. Instead, she stopped in front of Emma.

"I want you to make love to me," Regina said softly.

The Sheriff swallowed, "Are you sure? I mean we don't have to do anything"

The brunette cut her off when she untied her robe and let it fall to the floor. She was naked beneath it. Emma's mouth suddenly went dry. The olive skin that was now on display and it glistened from the shower the older woman had taken. Her hair was wet and fell slightly around her face.

Emma grabbed the Mayor's hand pulling her closer. The brunette straddled her lap as she leaned catching the blonde's lips with her own. Their mouths moved slowly, but in rhythm with one another.

Emma's senses were on overload. She had this beautiful naked creature in her lap. She could feel the heat from the other woman's core burning into her own. She moved her hands slowly over the Mayor's exposed and sensitive back. The woman felt amazing beneath her hands.

The kiss deepened and Regina put her arm around the blonde's shoulders. She laced her fingers through the blonde's hair at the nape of her neck, causing a shiver of pleasure to run up her spine.

As the Sheriff slowly glided her hand around to the front of the brunette, she gently cupped a firm breast. Regina moaned breaking the kiss, and the blonde leaned in to kiss at the Mayor's jawline. The younger woman let her palm slide over the taught nipple. The Queen ground her hips forward causing the blonde to gasp at the sudden pressure on her center.

Emma began kissing the brunette'ss delicate neck. She came to the pulse point she licked it lightly. Another moan passed the Mayor's lips. Her hip began rocking. She desperately wanted to find relief for the throbbing between her thighs.

The Sheriff kissed her way down the other woman's throat and down her chest. She licked the skin with the tip of her tongue as she went until she finally came to Regina's lovely breast. She kissed the nipple gently, then softly sucked it into her mouth. Her tongue flicked over it, as she increased the pressure.

Regina moaned loudly. Her hands were now holding onto fists full of the other woman's hair. Her hip ground harder into Emma's and the younger woman could fill her wetness. her wetness was pooling in her underwear.

The Mayor reached down to the hem of the blonde's shirt and pulled it up and over her head. She tossed it somewhere off to the side. She then stood, grabbing the Sheriff's boy shorts and yanking them down and off. She quickly got back into her previous position and reclaimed the blonde's mouth.

The kiss was still sensual, but it was much more intense. It was filled with need and desire. Regina took Emma's hand and slowly guided it between her own legs. The Sheriff hiss at the wetness she found and her stomach fluttered again as her own hips rocked forward.

The Queen guided the younger woman's fingers through the wetness. She pushed two of the blonde's digits inside herself. For a second her body tensed up at the contact and she closed her eyes.

"Hey, look at me, Regina. I won't hurt you," Emma said keeping her hand in place. She didn't move it until she knew the Mayor was all right.

Regina opened her eyes and looked into the loving emerald ones that looked back at her, and nodded. She slowly began to grind on the fingers that were now inside her. Her breath increased as another moan echoed through the darkened room.

Emma put her free hand against the older woman's cheek and gently pulled her to her lips. Arms once again encircled the Sheriff, as the mayor continued to work her hips.

The brunette was now panting and her moans were much louder. Just the sound alone made Emma think she could climax right there. Instead, she concentrated on the task at hand. The other woman was close. Emma curled her fingers upward, causing them to rub in just the right spot. Her palm rubbed the small bundle of nerves. The Mayor ground harder and faster as she neared her orgasm. With a loud moan, the older woman's body quaked. Regina let out a heavy breath of air and her body fell limply over the blonde beneath her.

Emma gently lifted the brunette's head so she could meet her eyes and found tears.

The blonde widened her eyes in worry, "Oh my god, Regina, did I hurt you?"

The brunette laughed, "No, you didn't. I have never had a lover pay that much attention to me. It was a little overwhelming."

Emma smiled and cupped the woman's face, "I love you, and the last thing I would want is for you to feel uncomfortable."

The Mayor leaned down, kissing the blonde's lips. She slowly pushed the Sheriff down onto the bed. She let her eyes travel down the blonde's upper body and then back up to meet her eyes. "You are beautiful Emma," she leaned over the now reclined sheriff and kissed her deeply.

Breaking the kiss, she slowly slid her body down the Sheriffs. She managed to slip in between the younger woman's legs, kissing all the flesh she came across. As she came to Emma's breast, she let her finger play by sliding them up and down over the pink hardened nipple. The blonde moaned and bucked her rocked upwards. She let the older woman know just how wet she had gotten, by rubbing her arousal across Regina's stomach. The Mayor to growled with desire.

Regin continued to lower her body down Emma's until she came to dampened blonde curls. She inhaled lightly and moaned as the Sheriff's arousal filled her nostrils. She wasted no time after she made the first swipe of her tongue through the wet folds. Hips bucked again, pulling the older woman harder into her curls. Regina had a slow and steady rhythm as she licked and sucked gently on the bundle of nerves.

Emma thought the other woman's tongue must be magical because she was so close so quickly. She tightened her fist into the brunette's hair and rolled her hips to the speed of the other woman's tongue. Suddenly Emma gasped at the admission of the Mayor's finger inside her. She moaned, rolling her eyes into the back of her head. Before she could do anything her climax overwrote her senses. Her body began to shake as she rode out the orgasm.

Emma exhaled as she lay back on the bed. Regina slowly climbing back up her body until they were looking into each other's eyes again. The brunette's chin glistened from the blonde's wetness. Emma couldn't resist pulling her for another kiss.

When the kiss broke, Regina let her body relax on top of the Sheriff's, "I love you too."

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Emma opened her eyes to the sound of her ringtone. She could feel the brunette's head against her chest and she smiled. This was the most beautiful woman she had ever laid eyes on. The same brunette raised up her head, "Emma, you have got to change that ringtone," her voice said heavy from sleep.

The Sheriff kissed her forehead and slid out of the bed to locate the device. Her jacket was hanging over Regina's vanity chair and she could see the flashing light. She dug out the device and answered, "Sheriff."

"Oh thank God," Came David's voice from the other end.

Emma rubbed her eyes, pulled the phone away from her ear to see the time, and then put it back, "Dad it's 3 am. Is there a problem?"

"Robin and Hook escaped", David spit out.

Emma's eyebrows shot up into her hairline, "WHAT?"

Suddenly there was the sound of glass breaking downstairs, and the blonde jumped. "Shit Dad, I think they're here."


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter19**

Henry's phone beeped beside the bed. He reached over and picked it up. His eyes didn't want to adjust to the bright light on the display. After a second he saw it was a text from Ava, _'Are you asleep?'_

The teenage boy rolled his eyes and typed, _'Not now, what's up?'_

 _'I can't sleep, do you want to go for a walk",_ she asked?

Henry rubbed his eyes and sat up, _'Where are you?'_

 _'Outside your building,'_ The text came back.

The boy stood up and looked out the window. He saw the girl waving from the street and he sighed, _'Give me a minute and I'll be down.'_

Well, at least his birth mother wasn't here to catch him again. This sneaking around thing wasn't his strong suit. Even when he had snuck around to see Emma when he had first brought her to town, his other mother knew everything he did.

He looked down at his clothes. He was wearing a t-shirt and a pair of sleep pants. They will have to do because he really didn't feel like changing. Instead, he grabbed some socks and his sneakers and put them on.

He put his phone on vibrate and crept from his room. He tiptoed down the stairs and right out the front door. He had a bad feeling about this. He shook the thought as he jogged down the stairs and out to the street where the girl awaited. He would talk to Ava for a bit, and then go back inside.

"Hey", Ava said with a smile.

"Hey. So where did you want to go," He asked?

"We can go down to the docks if you want," She said.

Henry shrugged and started walking with the girl in the direction of the docks. The older girl seemed to walk closer than normal, which made Henry a little nervous.

"So that was pretty awesome, what you did for you mom, I mean", she said.

"Yeah, well, she earned it. It's time that everyone gives her the respect that she deserves", He explained.

The girl smiled, "I agree. It was also kind of cool how you went after Robin."

Henry blushed at the compliment, "I didn't really do much."

"It was still cool, and hot," she said brushing her hand against his.

The boy swallowed, as his nerves went wild in his stomach. He wanted to say something suave or clever, but no words would form. He was suddenly worried that his brain had short circuited.

"Are your moms together now", the girl asked shaking Henry from his thoughts?

"Umm, I think so. I figure they will let everyone know when they're ready", He said.

"So you're cool with it," Ava asked?

Henry stopped walking and looked at her, "Am I cool with my mom's being together?"

"Well, yeah. I mean you were getting teased at school about it before it even happened," she said.

"I'm more than cool with it, just as I was then. My moms deserve to be happy and if it is together, then so be it. It works out even better for me. I get to spend time with them together," Henry said, then started walking again.

Ava nodded her head and smiled. He hoped that was the end of that subject. If she wasn't cool with his mom's then she either needed to remain silent or leave him be.

"You're pretty awesome, you know that," she said as she bumped his shoulder with her's.

As they came around the corner to the docks, Henry could hear voices. He grabbed Ava by the hand and ducked down beside a parked car.

"What's the matter," she asked?

He whispered, "I snuck out, remember, my grandpa is on duty tonight, and I heard people talking."

The girl peeked up over the car, "I don't see your grandpa, just some people on the Jolly Rodger."

Henry popped his head up, "What?"

He could see men moving about, but he was too far away to see who it was or exactly what they were doing. So he darted closer to the water's edge, to avoid the lights on the docks. The girl followed but at a delayed pace.

He could hear one of the voices now but wasn't sure who it belonged to, "Hurry up with the supplies. The Captain wants this ship ready to depart when he arrives."

 _Did they find a way to open a portal already?_ There was no way, something wasn't right about this. Henry moved closer to the ship when a voice startled him, "Well, well, what do we have here?"

The boy's eyes widened as he recognized Smee. Before Henry could ask him what was going on, he grabbed Him and began dragging him towards the vessel.

"Hook will be happy to see you, friend," Smee said with a sneer.

"Hook's in jail," Henry said as he tried to pull loose of the heavyset man's grasp.

Smee laughed, "Not anymore. We busted them out, while the hot wolf slept."

Henry looked over his shoulder where he could see his friend was still crouched down in a shadow. He lipped the words, 'Go warn my Mom's.'

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"What was that," Regina shrieked sitting up with the sheets clenched to her chest?

Emma grabbed her underwear and slipped them on. After a quick second, she located her shirt and pulled it over her head.

Pulling her gun off the vanity, Emma whispered, "I'm not sure. I need to go and see."

Regina jumped out of the bed in search of her own clothes, "I'm coming with you."

Emma wanted to tell her no, that it was too dangerous, but she would rather the woman be by her side and not alone. It took the Queen less time to dress than it had the blonde.

The sheriff slowly walked out of the room with her gun aimed, the brunette behind her. Her eyes danced all around, and she could hear her blood pumping through her ears. There was a sound near the bottom of the stairs, and Emma pointed the gun in that direction as she came closer. Feet were jogging up and the blonde was ready to fire her weapon.

Expecting broad shoulders, and an unshaven face, she pulled the hammer back.

"Whoa wait, don't shoot," came a much softer voice, and smaller body.

"Ava? What the hell are you doing here? I almost shot you," Emma yelled!

"I tried to knock but no one answered so I had to take a more drastic approach," the girl said.

Regina stepped out from behind Emma, "So you broke in?"

"Look, you can yell at me later. Henry's in trouble", she said rolling her eyes.

The Mayor's gasped, "What kind of trouble?"

"Smee took him when we were by the docks," the girl said.

Emma looked at Regina then back to the girl, "What was he doing at the docks?"

"I couldn't sleep so I asked him to walk with me. We were walking towards the docks when we heard voices. People were loading Hook's ship, that's when he was grabbed. Smee said they broke Robin and Hook out of jail," the girl tried to explain.

Regina grabbed the blonde's shirt, "Oh no Emma, I don't know what I will do if something happens to Henry?"

Emma pulled the brunette into her arms, "Hey, we'll get him back okay." She let out a slow and shaky breath as she growled, "They'll regret this move."

Flashing lights shown through the window. The door downstairs opened, "Emma? Regina?"

"Up here, Dad," Emma called after hearing David's voice.

He ran up the stairs taking two at a time when he reached the top, he looked around confused, "Where are they?"

Emma pointed to the girl, "This was our intruder, who came barring horrible news. Henry snuck out and has been abducted by Hooks chunky right-hand man."

The Sheriff's arm was still wrapped around the Mayor. Her father glanced down at Regina's satin robe, and Emma in her underwear, but said nothing. His daughter's cheeks darken with red.

He cleared his throat and glanced at the teenage girl, "I guess we all need to go down to the station together. We can figure this thing out."

"That sounds like a plan", the blonde said.

"Umm, you two might want to put on some clothes before we go," David said, with a small glint of a smile on his face.

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Henry sat in the wooden chair in the underbelly of the ship with his hands tied behind his back. This was just his luck, to get kidnapped. He shook his head at himself. His mom's had more important things they should be doing instead of having to come save him.

The narrow door across from the teenager opened and Hook appeared with Smee hot on his heels. The Captain didn't look pleased, "Bloody hell mate, I wanted a clean get away. Now you've gone and fucked that up."

The pirate pulled a chair up and sat in front of Henry, "How is it going, mate?"

Henry glared at him, "Fuck off."

"And what would your mum's think of such language," Hook leaned back with a smile.

The boy just stared at him, "I can't see what Emma saw in you in the first place. You're dirty, you wear too much makeup, and you somewhat suffer from little man syndrome. It's sad, really."

Hook clenched his jaw, "What happened to us? We used to be mates?"

"Let me refresh your memory, shall I? You tricked me to help you so that you could be with one of my mom's. You were the reason my other mom got hurt. I think that pretty much kills the whole 'mates' thing," the teen deadpanned.

"I never meant for your mum to get hurt. You have to believe me," the pirate said leaning forward.

"What I believe is that shit continues to pour from your mouth every time you open it. You keep on wanting everyone to see the Evil Queen when in reality you're very much like her. Just a small warning, when you do meet the real Evil Queen, you're really not going to like her." Henry's lip curled up into the corner as his eyes glared.

Hook swallowed, for a second the kid really creeped him out. You would think this kid was biologically half good and half evil. On that note, he decided he would go out for some fresh air and try and think about what to do.

As the pirate opened the door to leave, he was greeted by Robin, "There you are I was ju,"

The man's words die off as he saw Henry, "You are a bloody genius Hook."

Robin pushed passed Hook and walked up to the boy. He slapped Henry with enough force to knock him out of the chair, "That's for hitting me you little bastard."

Hook grabbed Robin and pulled him backward, "Come on mate, don't be bruising the merchandise."

Henry lay on the floor. The side of his face throbbed and felt as though it were on fire. He couldn't hate the man any worse than he already did for what he had done to his mom. Something was telling him his mothers could.

Robin grinned at the captain. He leaned down pulling Henry and the chair back to their upright position, "So Henry, how much has your mom missed me?"

Henry looked up at the man in disgust, "Are you delusional? No one misses you, not even your wife."

Another slap hit Henry's face, "You are a spoiled momma's boy. Had Regina let you go out with me more I would've weaned you off her tit so you could be a man."

"I don't see any men here. Real men don't do what you did. You are nothing to anyone but scum," Henry hissed through his pain.

"Your mom liked everything I gave her, and if I had the chance, I'd do it again", Robin smirked.

"You are fucking pathetic," the teenager screamed. He struggled to free himself from the ropes that bound his hands.

"Ok, that's enough Robin, leave him alone," Hook shouted.

"What, are you soft for the boy, Captain," Robin asked?

"No, but I would like him alive at least until we have a better idea of what we are going to do. This is my ship, and my rules," Killian said.

"Aye Captain," Robin smirked, as he left the cabin.

"Stop being stubborn like your mums, mate. He can really hurt you, Henry," Hook said before walking out.

Henry would never back down from Robin Hood. He would never let the man see him weak, and the angrier Henry could make him, the less he could think of a plan.

Outside the door, the teen could hear the conversation.

"Robin, we have to let the boy go, he is not part of our plan, mate. We are leaving Storybrooke, remember, no strings attached," the captain's voice rang out.

"He shouldn't have stuck his nose where it doesn't belong. Besides, I'm not done with the Mayor", Robin whispered loudly.

"Do you hear yourself? We have to go, mate, before they find us," Hooks' voice was almost pleading.

"No, it may be your ship, but I calling the shots now," Robin yelled!

The door to the cabin flew open and slammed against the wall, causing Henry to jump. Robin stormed over to him and pulled him up with one arm, "We are going for a walk boy."

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Regina stood staring out of the station window. Her hand lay on her stomach as she tried to calm the urge to be sick. How could she let this happen? She should have made him stay with her at the mansion. It was all her fault. If she would have ignored her body for wanting Emma so bad, then she wouldn't have been distracted.

Warm arms wrapped around her from behind and a chin propped on her shoulder, "We are going to get him back, I promise."

The Mayor turned to face the Sheriff, "I'm sorry I rushed you. I should have been paying more attention to our son."

A puzzled expression crossed the blonde's face, "What? Are you regretting us making love?"

A tear slipped down the brunette's cheek, "No. I don't know. I loved what happened between us, but I feel that Henry getting taken was because I was being selfish."

"Selfish? Regina, you are allowed to be happy and be a great mom at the same time. We will find our son and make these bastards pay. Don't give up on me now gorgeous," the blonde said with a smile.

The Queen returned it, and then pressed her lips to the other woman's gently, "I know, and I won't give up on you."

Emma noticed the moon from outside the window, "Ruby, the moon is full."

"I know," Ruby's voice seemed distressed, "I have been fighting the urge all night."

Regina snapped her head towards the waitress, "Fuck that, let it loose so we can find our son."

Everyone in the room looked at the Mayor wide-eyed. They were surprised at her language, and for the fact that she was ready for a werewolf to act as a hunting dog.

Mary Margret appeared from the back, "I just called Granny, and Leroy, they will call everyone else."

Regina looked at her, "You called them for what?"

"To fight for their Queen," the shorter haired brunette smiled.

"I'm not a Queen here, I'm barely the Mayor," Regina said.

"They don't call you their Queen because you were the Queen in the Enchanted Forest. I don't think any of them called you their Queen there anyways. They call you their Queen now because you have earned their respect. It's like I said the other day, once you have people's respect you also have their loyalty," Snow said.

"We'll wait on the town's people, you two take Ruby and we'll meet up after," David said to Emma and Regina.

The queen reached out and grabbed the other two women by their arms. She enveloped them into a purple cloud of smoke and they disappeared from the station.


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter20**

"Stop fighting me you little shit", Robin barked as he dragged the teenage boy through the woods.

"Where are you taking me", Henry asked while trying to twist and yank his arm free of the thief's grip.

Robin stopped walking and jerked the boy closer to him, "To the romantic spot where your mom first kissed me", he pulled a flask out of his coat pocket and took a swig.

"She was so desperate for love and acceptance, she would have done anything I asked. She wasn't bad in the sack either", Robin said before taking another drink of the pirate's cheap rum.

"You better be glad I'm tied up, or I would kill you myself", Henry growled.

The thief rolled with laughter, "You couldn't fight your way out of a wet paper bag, you little momma's boy", Robin leaned over as he laughed.

Anger rose in Henry. All he could think about was this man dying an agonizing death, but the more the man laughed, the angrier the boy. Henry threw his head forward, landing in with a loud crack against Robin's nose. He didn't care about consequences, all he knew is he wanted the slim ball to stop laughing.

Robin groaned out in pain as he released the teenager's arm and grabbed his own nose, "You little bastard!"

Henry took it as a sign to run, so he took off as fast as he could through the forest. He wasn't sure where they were or which direction to go, but he knew he needed to run. Robin was not happy and it was not going to be good if he got his hand on him.

The teenager could hear the man in the distance still cursing. Henry knew he had a little bit of a head start, but it was difficult to keep his balance with his hands tied behind his back. The moon's glowed brightly, but the woods were still dark. Many eerie shadows seemed to dance around as the boy's feet pounded into the dead leaves and fallen twigs. It was almost as though the woods were alive, and it was somewhat confusing.

Henry felt dizzy. He must have head butted the thief harder than her thought because the world was starting to spin. His feet continued to move, but he was no longer sure which direction they were going in. Suddenly he slid to a stop as he neared a cliff on the edge of the river. He was breathing hard, and with each breath, he let out, a large cloud of steamy air would escape from is opened mouth.

His lungs were burning, and now he didn't know what to do. He couldn't go forward because the water below was not only freezing but at the height of the cliff, it would surely kill him

The teen took a quick glance behind him, but Robin was not in sight. He looked left and then right. There was no way he could continue running until he could catch his breath. He spotted a hollowed out log and darted for it.

He quickly fell to his knees and scurried into the opening in the large log. He was now petrified, what was he supposed to do now. Henry remembers his cell phone in his back pocket, he had hoped he hadn't broken it by now.

He was able to slide it out of his back pocket and pushed the unlock button but had to drop it on the ground behind him. The boy then spun looking at it, he had to use his mouth and he dialed his mom's number.

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The three women appeared neared the docks just in the shadows. Regina wondered what Hook could possibly want with Henry. It was one thing to go after her, but no her son. Everyone in town adored Henry.

Emma had attempted to stay calm in front of the mayor, but only because she wanted her to stay calm. It was sweet how she always seemed to protect her. Regina's phone vibrated intensely in her pocket, and the other two women glanced over at her.

As the brunette pulled the phone from her pocket, she answered, "Hello?"

"Mom"," Henry's voice whispered out of breath.

"Henry! Where are you", Regina said almost shouting?

Emma had come closer looking intently at the mayor while waiting for information.

"I'm in the woods. I don't know where somewhere along the river. I'm hiding inside a log near the cliffs. I got away from him, but I think he's coming", the teen breath out.

"Henry, stay there, I'm coming to get you", Regina said trying to sound confident to her son.

"Hurry Mom," scuffling sound came from the line, and suddenly Henry screamed. He sounded further away, "Let me go", then there was silence.

Regina's heart sank, "They're in the woods somewhere."

The Mayor's eyes were filling up with tears, as she tried desperately to calm herself. She started to pace, she had to calm herself so she could think clearly. She knew where the cliffs were, but her brain wasn't working correctly at the moment. All she could hear was the scream her son made, and the fear in his voice.

Emma stepped closer, "Hey, I will check out the ship, you and Ruby head to the woods." The blonde gently place a hand on the brunette's cheek, making her brown eyes meet the green ones, "He's a tough kid, like his mother the queen. You'll find him. Now is the time for the Evil Queen", Emma said as she placed a soft, but quick kiss the older woman's lip.

Regina gave a slight smirk as purple flashed in her eyes, "He will be properly introduced to her majesty."

The older woman took Ruby's arm and in another cloud of purple, the two women disappeared.

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Robin had yanked Henry from the log. Blood ran down his chin from the broken nose that Henry had given him, and his eyes were dark with anger.

"You little bitch, you will pay for this", the thief said as he spits his blood at Henry.

The man raised his arm, backhanding the teenager again. This time catching him in the upper cheek and corner of his eye. It split it instantly, causing Henry to stagger backward, and then fall to the ground.

"I was the best thing that ever happened to your whore of a mother," Robin hissed as he kicked the boy in the side causing him to cry out in pain.

"And let's not talk about that other mother of yours. She's always messing around with shit that's not her business. Regina is mine to do with as I please, and no one is going to tell me differently," he said kicking the kid again, causing another cry of pain to burst from his throat.

"My mom would never be with you", Henry winced through his pain.

Robin leaned over placing his hand on his knees as he spoke, "But your mom and I are soulmates."

"Soulmates don't beat up and rape each other", Henry spat.

"Oh but you see, boy, that's where you are wrong, she liked everything I did to her. Had she not kept fighting me, it wouldn't have been as bad for her. She wanted to be the honorable one after she had already given me a piece of that sweet ass in her vault. It doesn't work like that," the thief said looking off into the forest as if he were in deep thought, and then a smile crossed his lips.

"You are so fucking delusional. You hurt my mother, you sick fuck," the boy shouted up at him.

The archer glared down at him and kicked him harder this time, causing a snapping sound as his boot came into contact with Henry's ribs. The boy tried to cry out, but this time it was cut short by his inability to inhale deeply.

The teenager clenched his teeth tight together as a tear rolled down his cheek. He refused to cry in front of the thief, "My mom is on her way."

"Oh, are we missing mommy boy? I was anticipating the whore's arrival sooner or later," Robin said as he yanked Henry to his feet. "First, we have some folks to meet up with."

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Emma watched the shadows of the occupants on the ship move about. Hook was going to be sorry. How could she be so blind to everything that had been going on with him? She didn't realize how serious the pirate had been over her. Obviously in a more psychotic stalker way, as opposed to a fairy tale romantic kind of way.

"Where's Red and Regina," David's voice called from behind her.

She turned to see her father standing with a large group of people. Granny stood with her crossbow, Leroy and the other dwarves stood with pickaxes, and other's she didn't know by name were behind them.

"They went to find Henry in the woods", she said nodding her thanks to the group who had come to assist.

"You let Regina go alone", David asked?

Emma looked at him, "No I let a werewolf and the Evil queen go to get our son back," darkness and confidence gleamed in her eyes. "Besides, I need to have a little chat with a certain one-handed man."

David nodded, "Okay, what now?"

Emma turned her head back towards the ship, "We go get Hook. We will take over the ship and collect the pirate."

The group looked like a renaissance seal team as they crept through the shadows of the docks. The dwarves had come prepared. They brought grappling hooks and rope to board the ship from all angles.

Granny looked pretty intimidating with her crossbow as she followed a very confident Emma and David towards the gangplank.

"Wait, what's the plan Em? Shouldn't we take them out one by one", David asked grabbing his daughter's arm?

Emma narrowed her eyes, "I'm more of a 'go in guns blazing' kind of girl."

Granny chuckled, "Yep, you are your mother's child."

The blonde pulled her pistol and cocked it, as she continued walking up the gangplank. The other's followed.

When she reached the top, there were several men laid out on the deck, and dwarves were tying them up.

Leroy looked up, "Top deck is clear."

Emma clenched her jaw and nodded towards the stairs that lead down the stairs. She had been a little surprised, she thought there would be more men in Hook's crew then there appeared to be. David ran to the door and waited for his daughter to get into position for him to open it. She nodded and David jerked the door open.

The blonde went in with her gun aimed. She continued in, noticing an open door to her left, and there sat Hook at a small table drinking from a rum bottle.

The sheriff kept her gun aimed at him as she entered the room. She noticed the pirate never looked at her, even though he knew she was there. He looked like he was lost in his own mind.

"You're too late love", he said as he took another gulp of from his bottle, "Robin took Henry."

Emma glared at him as she pointed her gun, "And you just let him?"

"I'm no hero, Love", He slurred.

The blonde gritted her teeth, "Oh that has been made abundantly clear."

He wiped his forehead with his forearm of his handless arm, "We could have been great together Emma."

"Are you fucking kidding me right now? You let a rapist take my son, and you're wanting to talk about a failed relationship", she said stepping closer to him.

"Robin wouldn't listen to me. I didn't want to take or hurt Henry. But Smee caught him snooping around outside. The kid kept popping off to Robin and there was nothing I could do," he said turning the bottle up again. This time Emma slapped it out of his hand and shattered against the wall.

"You are a selfish coward Hook," Emma hissed.

The pirate laughed through his drunken stupor, "Well you know how it is, love. I have to watch out for number one because no one else will."

It was more of a reflex, but Emma hit the pirate in the side of the head with the butt of her gun, "What the fuck, love", He yelled out!

Emma grabbed the man by his linen shirt and yanked him to his feet, "I was stupid to ever consider being with you. You are the same as Robin", she said.

"I never raped anyone, and I don't go around hitting on kids", the pirate replied.

Emma felt her blood boil at the man's words. He just admitted that Robin hit Henry. She raised her knee knocking Hook in the crotch. As he bent forward she shoved the barrel of the gun into his mouth. "You watch that sick fuck hit my kid and did nothing to stop him. I should blow your brains out right here. And don't tell me you tried, because there isn't a mark on you, so I know you didn't stand up the archer."

"Emma, don't do anything stupid", David said from near the door.

"Don't do anything stupid? What exactly does that mean? You mean don't go around raping and beating women, hitting kids, or did you mean being a coward and a selfish piece of shit?" The sheriff crammed the gun further into the man's mouth.

There was a chill in her voice that David had never seen before. He was scared for the pirate, but even more, he was scared for his daughter. He knew what an act like this could do to someone, and Emma already had a certain amount of darkness inside of her.

"Honey, you don't want to do this", David said with pleading eyes.

"That's where you are wrong, I want to see the life leave his eyes", she whispered in an eerie tone.

David slowly moved his hand down his daughter's arm and over the top of the gun, "Please Emma, let me have the gun."

The sheriff continued to glare at the pathetic man in front of her, who now had tears running down his cheeks, "Are you fucking crying? You are worthless. There isn't even anyone who would miss you."

David put gentle pressure on the weapon, hoping she would release it, "Em, honey, give me the gun."

After a second she pulled the weapon from the weeping pirate's mouth and let her father take it from her hand. As her David took it, she drew back and punched the man in the face causing his nose to bleed, again.

David took his daughter by the shoulders, "Come on, we need to find Regina and Henry."

Emma walked passed her father. As she went to walk through the doorway, the pirate spit at her, "I hope he fucks her good this time. He told me I should have done the same with you but I thought, Nah, she'll come around, but no. You got so wrapped up in that bitch and her kid, you didn't even know I existed."

Emma growled turning to attack the coward. Suddenly, her father raised the pistol and fired one shot that went straight through the pirates head. He collapsed to the floor. The blonde just stared at the blood that poured from the hole in his head, the darkness still in her eyes.


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter21**

Robin shoved the teenager forward causing him to fall to the ground in front of a camp fire where several men were standing. Henry's eye brow had been bleeding and now was running into his eye causing him to squint, and breathing was has hard, due to a painful pressure he could feel in his upper side.

"Here's our bargaining chip, boys", the thief said to the crowd of men.

"Where is the Evil queen mate", one of the men, who was covered in sailor tattoos asked?

"Yeah, mate, you said we would all get a turn at her", another pirates with one eye said.

The other men shouted their agreement.

"Patience boys, she'll be here", Robin said as he sat down on a log in front of the fire. He snatched a bottle from a man that was sitting next to him and took a drink.

Henry struggled to sit up right, lying on his stomach made it harder for him to breathe. He hoped he hadn't heard what the man had said correctly. There were like eight men, here, he would die before he let another person hurt his mother.

"So tell us again Robin, how was it", a pirate asked with a toothless grin?

"You are all disgusting", Henry yelled out!

The thief stood up and walked over to the boy. Henry automatically flinched expecting the man to kick or hit him again, but instead he pull the boy to his feet and then put his arm around Henry's shoulder, "You really need to lighten up lad", he then pulled the boy over to the log where he had been sitting and forced him to sit down.

"Here, have a drink", He put the bottle up to Henry's mouth, but the boy fought against him causing most of the harsh liquid to spill out over his mouth and soak his shirt. He winced at the sting the alcohol cause when it splashed up into his eyebrow.

"You know Henry, I could toughen you up yet", Robin laughed, and the rest of the crew joined in.

"You got a girl yet", the thief asked?

"None of your business", Henry sneered trying to shake the man off of his shoulders.

"Oh you do. Have you done the deed yet", He asked?

Henry didn't say anything. He just tried to ignore the older man.

"You know if they hold out to long, you just take what you want. Your mom is a good example", Robin said.

"Shut your fucking mouth", Henry screamed!

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Regina and Ruby appeared on the edge of a cliff and the werewolf sniffed the air, "He was here."

Regina's eyes still swirled purple, "Lead me to him."

The waitress smiled, and unfastens her red cloak letting it fall to the ground. As soon as the moon light hit her skin, she began transforming. Her clothing was ripped away as her bones repositioned, making uncomfortable cracking sounds. Fur simultaneously sprouted over every inch of her body, and just as quickly as the transformation had started now it was over with a beautiful dark grey wolf was now standing. She sniffed the ground and then took off in the direction Henry had gone.

Regina had placed a tracking spell on the wolf so that she could keep up with her. She was so angry, that her magic was vibrating off her skin. She had to admit that she loved the feel of her magic when she was in a stage of rage, it coursed through her veins like electrified liquid and made all of her senses come to life like an adrenaline rush on steroids.

Regina walked slowly in the direction that the beast had gone. She would give the wolf a few minutes and then she would teleport herself to the location. The mayor was no longer afraid, and that was reason enough for anyone to be petrified of the queen.

After a few minutes, the brunette snapped her finger, letting the purple cloud whisked her away. She appeared seconds later only a few yards from the group of men sitting by a fire. She let her eyes glance over the crowd until her eyes fell on her son. He sat uncomfortably on a log with his hands tied behind his back and Robin's arm was around his shoulder. She could make out what looked like dried blood on the side of her son's face, and her magic raged inside her like a hurricane. She wasn't able to see the extent of her son's injuries because of the dancing flames of the fire.

The mayor looked over at the wolf, "Lunch time my pet."

Regina began walking towards the fire, the wolf at her side, "So, this is what you do in spare time, I mean when you're not busy raping people."

Robin jumped up grabbing Henry in his arm holding him in front of himself as a shield, "Hey honey, we were just talking about you, weren't we kid?"

Henry winced in pain as Regina got a bit closer she could see the bruising in his cheek and the cut above his eyes, "My suggestion Hood, is that you release my son before someone gets hurt."

Robin pulled a dagger from his belt and held it against the teen's neck, "Careful there, whore, I wouldn't do anything drastic, or your son here may get hurt."

A loud but deep growl came from the wolf, and she turned and darted away into the darkness.

Robin laughed, "I see your guard dog has abandoned you, just like everyone else in your life."

Regina just smiled taking a couple of steps closer.

"Stay where you are whore", Robin said putting more pressure against Henry's throat causing him to wince in pain as a small trickle of blood ran down his neck.

The mayor stopped with anger growing even more inside her, "What is it exactly that you are looking for Robin Hood?"

A snarling noise came from the right of Robin, and then a man screamed in the darkness. Sounds of flesh being ripped apart echoed out, then silence. After a few seconds another scream cried out, but this time it was in the darkness to left of robin.

The brunette could see the fear in the thief's eyes as he jerked his head all around looking for the wolf, a smile crossed her lips. Another scream called out, this time from behind him. His men were scurrying about now, they too were not sure where the wolf was, but one by one the men were disappearing.

"I see you convinced Hook's crew to follow you to their deaths. Tell me, what could you have offered them to get them to come with you", the queen asked?

Another scream cried out from the darkness, causing the thief to flinch, but he didn't answer the question.

Regina flicked her wrist, magically grabbing a pirate by the throat as he passed, "tell me swine, what did Robin promised you for joining him?"

The one eyed man stood choking and gasping for air from this invisible force that held him in place, she release a bit so that he could speak, "He told us we would all get a turn at you."

The statement made her stomach roll, and for a second the mayor thought she would be sick, but then her anger took over again and with a twist her wrist the man's neck snapped. His body fell limply to the ground.

Henry's eyes widened at his mother, but only because he had never seen her so angry. Robin was terrified now, more screams came from different places around him, more sounds of flesh ripping, bones cracking, and snarling. It was like a scene from a horror movie.

The pirate with the toothless grin attempted to sneak up behind the mayor, but as he went to grab her, Regina flicked her wrist causing the man to slam at great force into a nearby tree.

Robin stumbled back a few step taking the boy with him, "I only did what I did to teach you a lesson", and he let out a nervous chuckle.

Regina magically levitated an injured pirate from the ground. He was missing part of his arm, so the queen figured he must have escaped the wolf. With the man in the air she flicked her wrist again, causing him to smack into a large boulder that was on the ground, killing him instantly.

"To teach me a lesson, dear? A lesson for what", the purple had completely envelops the once chocolate color eyes?

"For thinking you are better than everyone else. I could have had my wife and son along with you, but no you wanted it all", the thief sneered.

"She deserves to have it all", Emma's voice came from behind the queen.

Regina didn't look back; she hadn't expected the blonde to make it here that quickly. She was a little concerned with how the blonde would react to this side of her, but at the same time she was too angry to let it affect her entirely.

"The whore's dyke decided to join us", Robin spat.

Henry squirmed trying to get free from the man, but the thief only pushed the knife tighter caused more blood to pool up.

"Hey kid, you okay", the blonde asked noticing the bruise and blood?

"Oh, he's fine. He's been learning how to be a real man tonight", Hood said.

"I don't see any real men", Henry hissed.

"Why you", Robin grabbed the boy by the shirt and lifted him in the air.

Henry grunted at the pain in his side, as his shirt was pulled up. Regina saw the dark purple bruises on his ribs and gasped.

She had to think smart about this, she would have just done a spell to get Henry away from the man, but it was too dangerous. There were too many things that could go wrong and actually hurt her son, so didn't make a move.

Henry drew back his leg and kicked the man as hard as he could in the stomach, which made Robin drop Henry to the groan with a deep grunt. Henry scrambled away into the dark as fast as he could, Regina smiled, "Looks like your shield got away thief."

She walked closer in an excruciatingly slow pace, "You may have won the first two hands, but there is no way, you will win this one."

Robin stayed where he was, his eyes screamed with fear, but he refused to let it fully show, "You got what you deserved whore. You walked around acting as if you owned everyone. Shaking your sweet ass to get what you want, but when it came time to pay up, you would never come through, ask Sidney."

Regina flicked her wrist toward him causing roots to sprout from the ground and restrain him. She continued her path towards the man, on a couple of feet from him, "You put your hands on my son", the words were spoken so calmly it was eerie.

"That's because the little bastard has a smart ass mouth just like his whore and dyke mothers", Robin said straining against his restraints.

Regina raised her hand and then snapped her fingers. Robin grunted as an imaginary force struck him in the face. She snapped again, and again the same thing happened, only this time a cut was left just under the thief's eye.

"You fucking bitch", the man hissed.

"Oh, you have no idea, darling", she said as she raised her hands up and ripped the man's shirt open. The brunette placed one hand on his bare chest, before she curled her fingers up making them look like claws. Pulling her hand slowly downwards; large gaping gashes were left in their place causing the man to cry out.

"So what exactly caused you to leave suspicious bruises on my son's ribs", she asked in her still overly calm voice?

"Fuck you and your pussy son", Robin yelled!

Regina placed her hands on the man shoulders, and then pulled back her knee letting in crash into his crotch, "That one was for me, and besides, you seem to like it rough."

Henry appeared beside his birth mother. She quickly dropped to her knees and lifted her son's shirt to see his injuries. She press gently on the worst bruise and as the boy yelled out when the rib moved, letting her know it was broken.

Regina turned to see what had caused her son to yell, and saw the look on the younger woman's face. The purple flared in her eyes as she flicked her wrist causing another invisible force to hit the man, this time it was in his side like her son's. She Flicked her wrist again, and again, and again, enjoying the cries that came from her ex's mouth. The next flick of her wrist cause tares to appear on his ribs, and blood to run down his body.

The mayor snapped her fingers and the vines disappeared back into the earth. Robin fell to the ground after losing his support, "Now it is a little more of a fair fight", she said.

Robin looked up at her trying to understand what she was meaning, "Are you saying you want to fight me whore?"

Regina curled up the edge of her mouth, but there was no lightness in her voice, "Of course, Stud, only difference now is I make the rules."

Emma stepped forward, "Regina? What are you doing?"

The queen could hear the worry in her lovers voice, but she didn't respond, instead she walked closer to the man, and knelt down next to him, "You know, I thought you were this great, sexy guy that was going to save me from the darkness", she laughed, "but you have proven to be the complete opposite of that."

"I know you liked it whore. I heard you moan when I fucked you on your desk. You got what you deserved and more, I would have fucked you again in your kitchen had the dyke not messed that up", He hissed at her.

She flicked her wrist causing another laceration to appear on his face. The brunette grabbed the man's face in her hand and raised it to meet her eyes, "I won't kill you, but I will make you wish for death."

"Fuck you! You are nothing but a worthless whore! You cause destruction and chaos everywhere you go. No one will ever love you. You are a sorry excuse for a queen", Robin spit.

She levitated the man up into the air, snapped her fingers and he was thrown onto the ground a few yards away. Robin lay motionless on the ground and the brunette went to close to inspect. Blood was now oozing from a gash on his head. For a second she thought he may be dead so she leaned in to see if he was breathing.

With one smooth motion the man had stood and grabbed Regina. He had pulled a smaller knife from his boot and held it to the queen's throat. Her back was against his chest, as he now used the brunette as a shield.

Robin smiled and looked up, but the blonde had disappeared. He looked to the left, the right and behind him, "I guess your dyke has abandoned you too."

Regina stayed calm. Her anger was still in full swing so fear was nowhere to be seen, "She would never abandon me."

Robin laughed, "This is exactly how I wanted you", he pressed the knife into her neck, as his other hand began to group her breast, "You know you missed me. No one can do for you what I can."

His voice was thick with lust and Regina fought the bile that threatened to erupt. Suddenly snarling and growling came from behind him. Robin spun to see the giant blood stained wolf.

"It's not a good idea to piss off the wolf, son", Granny said with her arms crossed over her chest. She stood to the right of him and he had to spin again to see her.

"Things didn't turn out so well for any of your pirate friends, including Hook", David say from the other side of the thief.

"I don't get it. All of you hated her, she ruined your lives and killed people you loved, and yet you defend her", the thief said confused.

"She repented", Henry voice called from near David.

Regina threw her elbow back, colliding with his injured ribs and he released her with a loud grunt. She moved towards David.

"She is just a worthless whore", Robin laughed.

Suddenly an arrow whistled through the darkness landing with a sickening thud as it pierced the man's chest. He stood for a moment shocked, but then slowly fell to his knees.

Emma stepped from the shadows holding Granny's crossbow, "Stop calling her a whore! You are the worthless piece of shit!"

He gargled on the blood that had come up into his mouth. Another arrow flew through the dark, landing with the same thud, but this time it split the arrow Emma had shot in half as it hit dead center to the other. The man fell dead onto the leaf covered ground.

Emma looked up to see the other archer. From a nearby tree, Marion stepped out with her bow in her hand, "He like to say he lived by the bow", she slid the bow over her head letting it hang on her back, "It is only fitting that he die by the bow."


	22. Chapter 22

Readers: There is no need for anyone to worry; I promise a happy SwanQueen ending. I would like your opinions about something though. Do you all want me to come to a close with the story or would you like me to continue? I do have some ideas on continuing, however if you are all ready for it to end, I can arrange that as well.

 **Chapter22**

"Henry", Regina yelled as she ran to him.

Emma joined the two as the boy sat down on a log to catch his breath, "Are you alright? What did he do to you?"

"He hit me a couple of times", he said as Regina took his chin in her hand examining the bruises and the cut on his eyebrow.

She grabbed the edge of his shirt and started lifting, "Let me see you side?"

Henry allowed his mother to raise his shirt, and listened to the gasp that came from both of the women, "What the hell did he do?"

Henry smiled weakly, "He kicked me a bit, after I got off the phone with you", he wanted to show his moms that he was tougher than he looked.

The smell of whiskey hit Emma's nose, "Why do you smell like whiskey barrel?"

Henry gave a small laugh, "Robin was being generous with his alcohol", his eyes widened a little, "but don't worry, I didn't drink any."

Regina had pressed her lips to her son's forehead and closed her eyes. When she opened them again Emma could see the purple swirling intensely in them. The mayor got up and walked over to Robin's body. She glared at it for a second and then began kicking him, over and over and over, just how she imagined he had done to Henry.

Strong warm arms wrapped around her from behind, "Hey, hey it's okay. Henry is okay."

Regina stopped the assault on the corpse and turned to look at the blonde, "This is my fault. Had I just killed him with magic when he came to my house", she let out a sob, " but I was a coward!"

The brunette was crying and Emma repositioned her arms so their bodies faced one another and tightened her arms, "Look at me", Emma said leaning back enough to see the mayor's face. When the brown eyes met the green ones the sheriff said, "It's not your fault, it is Robin's fault, and you were scared, that doesn't make you a coward."

Regina leaned her head down, pressing her forehead to Emma upper chest. For a long moment they stayed like that, but then the mayor wiped her eyes and said, "We have to heal Henry."

"Heal? We can do that", Emma asked a little surprised.

Regina smiled, "With light magic we can."

The sheriff followed the older woman back to where Henry sat who was breathing deeply but slowly. She looked around seeing all of the people who had come to assist standing around them watching.

The brunette looked at her son, "Henry, honey, we are going to try and heal you, but I won't lie, this is going to hurt."

Henry kept his face neutral, "What do I need to do?"

"I need you to lie down on your back, here on the ground", she then looked up and found Ruby, now human and only wearing her red cloak, "Ruby, I need you here at Henry's head".

Ruby quickly took the position, "Hey Henry, crazy day, huh", she asked awkwardly?

Regina was on her knees on one side and Emma was on the other. David dropped down to the boy's feet while Granny passed Ruby a thick stick.

"You're going to want to bite down on this", the werewolf said placing the stick in the boy's mouth.

The mayor took the teens shirt in both hand and ripped it open, letting the material fall to the sides so that they had better access to the injuries. David had not seen the wounds, but he did hear Emma say something about broken.

"Okay Emma, we both place our hands over the wound, and when I tell you, we are going to concentrate on setting the bone", Regina explained looking her lover in the eyes.

Emma nodded, placing her hand where she was directed. Even the slightest pressure caused the boy to wince.

Regina laid her hands over Emma's, "Henry, take a deep breath", her son did as he was told and she said, "Now Emma."

White light began to glow from their hands and suddenly Henry screamed out in pain, as they felt the bone slip back into place. The pain was so intense, Henry pass out.

Ruby slapped him lightly on the cheeks, "Come on kid, stay with us."

Regina had tear streaming down her face at the pain she had just seen her son endure, but she continued healing him. After a few minutes, Regina pulled back, and Emma followed, "That's all we can do. The bruises will have to heal on their own," the cut that had been on Henry's eyebrow was now a small scar.

Ruby took the stick out of the boy's mouth and gently caressed his sweaty forehead, "You did well, kid."

Emma stood and looked at Regina, "So he's okay now?"

Regina stood while letting David lift the teen up, "Well, he will still need to go to the hospital for an x-ray and some test to make sure there is no internal damages."

The sheriff narrowed her eyes, "Is this something I can do on my own?"

Regina looked up at the other woman a little puzzled, "Yes, but it does take practice."

"Why didn't you tell me this when you were hurt", Emma asked?

The mayor looked into the emerald eye, then sighed, "Can we at least talk about this later? I would like to make sure my son is alright before you start in on me for something you do not understand."

Emma was still irritated, but silently agreed to wait. She could have taken the brunette's pain away or something, but instead the blonde had felt useless. Why would she choose to suffer? She didn't know why she was so mad at Regina all of the sudden, she knew the woman would not want what happened to her to have taken place at all.

Regina went up to David, "I need to take him to the hospital."

David nodded letting Henry attempt to stand on his own, most of the pain was gone, but he was still a little bruised and he was very tired. Regina put her arm around her son, and before anyone, even Emma could say anything, she and the teen disappeared into purple smoke.

A group of merry men wondered up with Marion, "We would like to take Robin's body."

Skepticism lasted a moment on the sheriff's face, "What for?"

Marion smiled softly, "No matter what crimes Robin has done, we still must give him a proper burial."

Emma wanted to tell her that this man did not deserve a proper burial, or anything else for that matter, but instead she looked at David who said, "Their people have a burial ritual where they burn the body. If they do not give him his proper burial, it is believed that he would haunt those closest to him forever."

Emma remembered what had happened to Mary Margret and Regina when the mayor's mother had possessed the shorter haired brunette's body. She could not let this man continue to haunt Regina, so she nodded in agreement.

The band of merry men lifted the corpse up and began walking away. Marion followed but stopped briefly, "Sheriff, be gentle with the queen, she is more delicate than she lets on."

Emma smiled at the woman and watched as the group disappeared into the fog that rose of from the moist ground in the early morning sun rise.

"You should be at the hospital with them, Em", her father's said standing next to her.

Emma looked at David, "Don't I need to help wrap all of this up?"

He smiled, "We can handle it, why don't you take Ruby too, she looks like she could use some clothes."

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Emma arrived at the hospital roughly about an hour after Regina and Henry. It took a long time to walk out of the woods, and it wasn't like she knew how to do the poof thing that the mayor did, plus she had to take Red home.

Dr. Wales had directed her as to where she could find her son and his mother. She rounded the corner to where Henry was being kept. It was the same large room where they had placed him after he had eaten the apple turnover that had been meant for her. The sheriff stopped just behind a curtain about twenty or so feet away and observed.

Regina gently ran her finger through his short dark hair as she laughed at something the boy had said. The blonde couldn't help but see how the mayor's face completely lit up when she genuinely laughed or smiled. They had come a long way from the day Henry had been poisoned, but she was still a little amazed at how they had seemed to skip the friends step to their yet to be defined relationship.

The blonde started to join them, but then Henry's words stopped her, "So you finally admitted that you were in love with Emma?"

Regina's look sobered, "I did. Are you okay with that?"

He smiled, "Of course I am. Now we can all be a family together."

The mayor bit her lip, "In time it could be possible."

"What do you mean? You guy know you love each other, right? Now Emma can move in and everybody wins", Henry said still smiling.

"It's not that simple Henry. There are so many things that we need to discuss and I think things are moving too quickly", She looked up just in time to locks eyes with the blonde across the room, the hurt and confusion was evident.

Emma suddenly couldn't believe what she just heard. Did she regret making love with her? Regina came onto her, the blonde would have been content with just holding the other woman in her arms, but know she guessed the mayor had a change of heart. Her head was spinning and she need to get out, before the brunette could say anything, the sheriff turned and walked away.

As she neared the exit a hand grabbed her arm, "Emma, don't go."

The blonde stopped but didn't look at the older woman, "So it was a mistake?"

"What? No, that's not what I meant Emma. I just meant that…"

"I heard you, we are moving too fast", the sheriff interrupted.

Regina wanted the other woman to look at her, but she refused to force her, "I can explain, please."

Emma glance at the other woman, tears threatened to spill, "Why do you keep trying to push me away. I have never wanted anything or anyone as much as I want you. God, why can't someone just once, love me back", a tear rolled down the blonde's cheek, and she jerked her arm free of the mayor's then walked out the door, passing Snow as she did.

Snow started to speak to her daughter but saw the look on her face and decided against it. When she walked up to Regina, who was watching the blonde leave, Snow asked, "What is that all about?"

Regina burst into tears and fell into the other woman's arms, "I just keep messing everything up."


	23. Chapter 23

Readers: Because this chapter and the last were so short I figured I would post them both. Thanks to everyone who has said such awesome things about the story, it keeps me inspired.

 **Chapter23**

Emma had made it down to the docks before her cell phone vibrated. Looking down at her phone she could see it was Henry, _'What happened between you and mom?'_

She really couldn't deal with this right now. The blonde wasn't even one hundred percent sure what had happened. All she heard was the queen wasn't interested.

Emma plopped down on a bench and looked out over the water. The phone vibrated in her hand and she looked down. It was David, _'your mom called looking for you.'_

' _Good thing you don't know where I am'_ , she typed back.

' _Actually I kind of tracked your phone and your mom may or may not be on her way there'_ , He said.

Emma sighed; there was no need to respond. She gets that these people missed their baby they shoved into a wardrobe thirty years ago, but come one. She is not a baby any more, she is a grown woman and they needed to treat as such.

"Emma, we need to talk", Mary Margret's voice caused the blonde to jump.

"Shit… You got here faster than I thought", Emma said holding her hand over her heart.

"What are you doing", her mother asked?

"Sitting here, what does it look like I'm doing", Emma motioned towards the bench?

Snow tilted her head, giving the blonde a displeased look, "You know what I'm talking about. Do you want to be with Regina or not?"

"Why are you asking me? You should talk to her, she's the one that said we were moving too fast", the blonde threw her hands up dramatically.

"Listen to me very closely, Emma. Grow up", the short haired brunette barked.

Emma's eyebrows flew up into her hairline and before she could respond her mother continued, "Out of every person here in StoryBrooke, you fell for the one with the most baggage. You knew that, then in less than a week, just about every horrible thing that could happen to a person has happened to her, and you get your panties in a bunch because you over hear a conversation between a mother and son, about her confidence in a relationship. Get over yourself already. If you want to be with her, then get off your ass and go get her, stop feeling sorry for yourself. We have all had a shit life Emma, it no longer matters who is to blame. We have to go forward with what we have and either chose to be better or sit and dwell on our failures."

Snow did not wait for a response from her daughter; she just marched off, leaving Emma to watch her leave. The blonde wasn't entirely certain, but she was pretty sure she had just got her first lecture, and a good one at that from her mother. She was stunned into silence.

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Henry had been released from the hospital. The x-rays showed the bone was no longer broken and there wasn't any internal damage. When he and his mother returned home, she had been quiet and he could tell she had been crying. He had seen Emma walk away when he and his adoptive mother were talking, and he watched as his mother chased after the blonde.

There was tension radiating off his mother, but he had witnesses so many thing that a kids age shouldn't that he didn't know what to say to her to make her feel better. He had went into the kitchen to fix himself some cereal, and she followed.

"Do you want me to make you some breakfast", His mother asked in a weak voice.

He tried to play it off like he couldn't tell, "No thanks, I'm just going to get some cereal, and maybe go get some sleep. I'm tired."

She looked at him for a second and then smiled, "I bet you are honey", she leaned over and placed a kiss on the side of his head, "You know if you need to talk about anything, you can come to me, right?"

"Okay, so what happened with you and my other mom", He ask as he crunched into his cereal?

It seemed to hit a sore spot with his mom, because her eyes watered and she had to clear her throat, "I meant if you wanted to talk about you", she said, but then when she saw her son's glare, she went on, "but I'm not sure what's going on with us. I know I need to think before I open my mouth."

"She loves you a lot, you know? She will be back", He smiled as he took another bite of his cereal.

Regina gave a fake smile back, but then left the kitchen. Henry shook his head. He knew his mom was trying her hardest for this, but why couldn't Emma see it. If his blonde mother didn't fix this soon he was going to have to disown her.

He sent another text, _'Whatever happened, you need to fix it, now!'_

Henry locked the phone and slid it back into his pocket. He was angry with his birth mother, how can one person make another feel so much joy, but then have the ability to make them feel such pain. He made a pact with himself; he was never falling in love. There was no way he would let someone have that much power over him.

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Regina went into her study. She felt so drained; she didn't have anything left to give. How could she have been so stupid as to say those things to Henry? She wasn't sure what she had been thinking, and even though she would not lie to her son, she still couldn't tell him everything about what had or what was going on with Emma and herself.

She could hear Henry's footsteps on the stairs and then he yelled, "I'm going to bed now."

"All right honey, sleep well", she called back.

She listened until she heard him close his bedroom door. Glancing over at her wet bar, she decided maybe a drink was needed to help her forget some of the night's events. She chose the cider this time instead of the scotch, she wasn't sure she wanted to revisit that particular hangover so soon.

Regina poured the amber colored liquid into her glass and took a sip. She closed her eyes as she admired the taste. It was the perfect sweetness, perfect amount of alcohol, but she knew better than anyone that you had to be easy with the cider because it could pack a hell of a kick.

She sat down in her armchair that faced the entrance. She heard a key in the lock, and knew it had to be Emma, because she had yet to give her keys back to her after she had come to collect clothes for the mayor.

The brunette could hear the door open slowly and then the blonde's voice, "Hello is it okay if I come in?"

"You just unlocked the door, it is irrelevant now", the mayor said as she rolled her eyes.

The sheriff poked her head around the door frame, "Hey?"

Regina took another sip of her drink, "Hey."

The queen could see that Emma was nervous. She walked at a slow pace, one hand fidgeted with the bottom hem of her jacket, while the other ran through her hair, "Can we talk?"

"I tried to do that earlier, you didn't want to", Regina said in her old sarcastic way.

Emma chewed her bottom lip as she walked up to the chair the brunette was seated in and knelt down, "I'm sorry."

Regina took another sip, but never took her eyes from the blonde's, and Emma continued, "I'm sorry that I over reacted and freaked out on you," Emma watched as the queen had no expression, "I'm sorry that I was selfish, but I can't promise that it won't happen again."

Regina finished her drink and stood up, leaving the blonde on the floor. She walked over and poured herself another one, "Why wouldn't you listen to me?"

Emma stood from her position on the floor, "I that you were just trying to tell me what you thought I wanted to hear. I'm sorry, I'm not good at this…whatever this is either."

Regina grabbed another glass and filled it with the apple cider, then held it out for Emma. The blonde looked at it for a moment, and then walked closer.

"I haven't had enough time to poison it", the brunette said not looking at the other woman.

Emma took both glasses from the older woman and sat them down, then took her hands in her own, "I love you. I don't want to pressure you into a relationship, and I'm truly sorry for before. I didn't stop to think about you or how you might be feeling. I want to be with you, but if you're not ready, I will back off, no matter how tough that would be."

A single tear rolled down the mayor's face, "Why does everything have to be black or white? I love you Emma. I'm scared that I will wake up and you will be gone or that you will see me as the evil queen and leave me. I can't take another heart break. All I know is that I love you now, I don't know what will happen tomorrow or the day after that, but I do know how I feel right now."

The blonde inhaled, "That doesn't exactly instill a lot of confidence", Emma said watching the other woman's head fall at her words, "But I'll take it. I love you and I may get mad or upset and need to get some fresh air, but I'm not going anywhere unless you want me to", she smiled, "Or unless you come with me."

A sob escaped the brunette's throat as she threw herself into the sheriff's arms, burying her face into the other woman's neck. Emma tightened her hold on the older woman and kissed her temple.


	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter24**

Emma opened her eyes to the orange glow of the sunset that was peering through the study window. She smiled at the warmth she felt from the brunette in front of her that she was spooning with, on the small sofa.

The two women had decided it would be a good idea if they were to get some rest. David had deputized a few members of the community to take over at the station so he, Ruby and Emma could have the rest of the day off to rest after their extremely long shift. He and Regina had agreed that it only made sense to choose some people who had been knights or guards in their old lives.

Kathrine's husband Fredrick was the one that was left in charge; another had been a guard from the White palace while the third had been a knight for the Evil queen. Now they just hoped that they could all get along to do a proper job. Fredrick did say that he would make sure the peace was kept between the other two.

Emma inhaled the mayor's scent of apples and cinnamon. Her smell was intoxicating, but much more than a sexual feeling, it created a calming in her soul, and the craving in her heart. She didn't know how she had lived this long without this woman, and why they had been so blind before.

Suddenly a delicious aroma crept into the study, making Emma's stomach growl. This scent was not that of the queen, but of something cooking. Did Henry know how to cook? At this point she hoped so, because she just realized how hungry she was.

"Hey beautiful, we should probably get up", Emma whispered into the brunette's ear.

Regina moaned softly and smiled before her eyes opened, "I could get used to this."

"Good, you guys are awake, finally", Henry said from the door way, causing his mothers to sit up.

"What smells so good", Emma asked?

"Roasted chicken", Henry said.

The blonde looked up at the boy, "You know how to make roasted chicken?"

The boy tilted his head, "No, but grandma does", he said before walking away.

Emma threw her head back and sighed loudly.

Regina stood up grabbing Emma's hands and pulling, "Come on, be nice."

The sheriff narrowed her eyes and cocked her head, "You do realize how strange that sounds coming from you, right?"

A beautiful laugh came from the mayor's throat, "I don't know what you are talking about."

Emma laughed too, standing and letting the older woman lead her into the kitchen. Her father was stirring something on the stove, and her mother was placing baby Neal into a swing that they must have brought with them. Henry was setting the table.

"Hey you two, I wasn't sure when you were going to wake up", David smiled at them.

Snow looked up and smiled but said nothing.

"What is all of this", Regina asked with an odd but welcomed cheer in her voice.

"We thought we could all eat as a family, and we missed you two, back at the loft", Mary Margret said walking back over to the oven to check the chicken.

Regina looked at Emma waiting for her to say something, but she only shrugged her shoulders. The mayor nudged her with her elbow. The blonde almost whined in pain but instead she smiled at her parents, "We appreciate that."

The sheriff looked back at the older brunette who shook her head and narrowed her eyes at her lover, "What she means to say is we missed you too and we think it is a great idea to have dinner together."

Emma rolled her eyes, but just in time when her mother turned around giving a soft smile to Regina, but glared at Emma.

"What", Emma asked?

"You know what", Snow snapped at her daughter before turning her attention back to the stove.

"Why am I always in trouble with someone", Emma asked a little dramatically.

"It's the price you have to pay for being the savior", Henry said seriously.

There was a brief moment of silence and then the room erupted in laughter causing baby Neal to jump looking around wide eyed.

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Dinner went well and the chicken was delicious, just as Emma's nostrils had suspected. Henry helped clear the table and serve the chocolate pie that the short haired brunette had made.

Henry took a bite of the pie as he looked around the table at the members of his family. He glanced over at his adoptive mother, and could see the genuine happiness that radiated on her features. He could see both of his mothers' sharing glancing when they thought no one was watching. He knew it was a great thing, and at any other time he would have be overflowing with excitement, but for some reason his emotions were betraying him.

"Well hopefully things will start to get back to normal now", David said taking a bite of his pie.

"Not too, normal I hope", Emma said not really meaning for that sentence to actually come out of her mouth.

Everyone looked at Henry and Snow asked, "How are you doing Henry?"

The teen smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes, "I'm good. I'm glad everyone is happy."

Regina could tell his smile was only external, "If you need to talk about anything, we are all here for you."

Henry could see the worry in his adoptive mother's eyes. He didn't want her to worry, and he couldn't tell her that when he had went to sleep he kept having nightmares about what had happened, "I'm fine mom", he tried to smile again but it was no use, he knew they could all see right through him, so he looked the mayor in the eyes, "Can we talk about it later?"

Emma looked at him and then to Regina for fear that he suddenly didn't want the two women to be together, but decided that instead of asking him, that she would drop it for now. The mayor stared at her son and swallowed but then nodded that they could wait.

Henry continued to watch the adults as they talked, when a thought hit him, "Umm, I have an odd question?"

The four adults looked up at him and Regina asked, "What's that honey?"

"How was Hook able to cast the spell", Henry was playing with his pie, but then looked up letting his eyes skate over all the ones that were now on him, "Hook doesn't have magic, so he couldn't cast the spell alone, right?"

Everyone looked around at each other. Regina's eyes widened, "Oh my God Henry, you're right."

"Who the hell other than Gold, you and me, has magic", Emma asked looking at the mayor?

"The fairies", Snow said.

The table grew silent for a moment, and then Henry spoke, "Would they do something like that? I thought they were supposed to be good."

Mary Margret looked over at her grandson, "Sometimes good people do bad things when they are desperate", she looked over at Regina, who knew she was talking about the time she tricked the mayor into killing Cora.

"Well first thing tomorrow, Emma, you and I can take a trip over to the convent and see what we can find out", David said scooping the last bite of his pie up onto his fork and then putting it into his mouth.

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A couple of hours later the Charmings had left, after the short haired brunette had insisted on washing the dishes. Of course Regina only half accepted because she helped. They had said their goodbyes and went out the door, a sleeping Neal in his mother's arms.

Emma had gone upstairs to shower, and Henry, she thought was in his room, or maybe he had already fallen asleep. The mayor figured she would check in on him when she was headed upstairs.

She wiped the counters down with a wet cloth. It's not that she didn't think that Snow didn't clean well, it's just that she has her own way of doing things and wiping the counters again, made her feel better. She had so many things running through her head, so it was almost robotic, her re-wiping the counters.

She walked out of the kitchen flipping the light out as she went. As she entered the hallway she heard something in the sitting room. She slowly walked to the doorway. Henry stood with his arms crossed looking out the window, his back to her.

"Henry? Is everything all right", she asked as she approached.

"How do you do it", He asked causing her to have to strain to hear him?

Regina stopped, not sure what he meant, "How do I do what?"

Sleep, with everything you have seen and done", He asked without turning?

Regina's heart sank, was he mad at her about something. She sat down on the small sofa and ran her palms down her thighs in an attempt to smooth out the imaginary wrinkles.

"I…" She started.

He turned to face her, "I mean I keep hearing him in my head, and the look in his eyes, he was so crazy."

Realization hit the queen, and she knew now what he meant. She stood and walked over to her son and wrapped her arms around him, "Oh honey, I'm so sorry that you had to go through any of that. I wish I could tell you that there was some sort of trick to get you to forget it. I could use magic."

"No. I don't want to forget. I'm glad he's dead. I just can't get his words out of my head and I see him in my dreams", Henry said pulling back so his mother could see his face.

Regina could see the unforgiving look in his eye. Shamefully she was glad it wasn't directed at her., "Henry, you can't keep those thoughts and feeling bottled up, you have to talk about them."

The boy pulled out of her arms and returned to the window, "I know. I was thinking maybe it was a good idea for me to start talking to Archie again."

Regina was surprised at his response, "I think that is a great idea Henry."

"I'm worried, though", he said, "what if he thinks badly of me for my bad thoughts, or something like that."

The queen walked up behind her son, and kisses his head, "He won't think that baby, I promise."

"If I do this, you have to promise me something", Henry said turning.

Regina's eyes widened, "Anything."

"You can't snoop or intimidate Archie into telling you what what I tell him", He said with a solemn look.

"I…umm", the mayor started to lie and say she would never do something like that, but instead swallowed and said, "All right. I promise."

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Regina had said she was going to take a bath, so Emma went downstairs for something to drink, in case the queen wanted some privacy. She didn't know if she should tell Regina she was going to go back to the loft. She just didn't want to assume that she was staying over. She was really trying to be understanding about the situation and she felt things were still up in the air a little.

She took this time to check her phone, looking down she saw she had a message from her mother, _'I'm just wanted to tell you that I saw how happy Regina seemed and wanted to say I'm proud of you, and just so you know, You were glowing too.'_

Emma smiled, but didn't text a reply. She was incredibly happy, but still uneasy on a few things, but she had faith it would all work out.

As she started up the stairs her phone vibrated, _'Will you bring me some wine from the fridge.' It was Regina.  
_

The blonde smiled and went into the kitchen and retrieved the wine and a glass. She poured the red liquid into the glass, replaced the bottle in the fridge. She was sort of impressed with herself that she had managed to climb the stairs without spilling a drop.

As she enter the bathroom, she almost dropped the glass when her eyes fell on the sight before her. The mayor was reclined back with her eyes closed, in the white claw foot tub, with bubbles covering her breast. Her smooth olive colored legs were resting up on the edge of the tub. Her hair was pulled up into a clip and the few strands that had escaped were wet sticking to her long delicate neck.

Emma took a shaky breath, but then shook her head out of the thoughts. She smiled, "Here you are your majesty."

Regina opened her eyes and smiled, "You are the first person to ever call me that and make me feel like a queen."

The brunette took the glass in her hand, remaining in her reclined position. Emma smiled; this woman was incredibly beautiful, "Because you are."

"No, I am not a queen anymore", the mayor said closing her eyes again.

"I wasn't talking about in the royal bloodline or who married who sense. I meant that you are a queen to me, and I will worship you as long as long as you will let me", the blonde said hopping up onto the counter so she could sit.

Regina opened her eyes and looked at the other woman almost perplexed, "I…" Regina was taken back with how the blonde's words affected her, "How do you do that?"

Emma leaned the side of her head against the small partial wall to her right leaving her eyes on the mayor, "How do I do what?"

Regina took a sip of her wine, "Affect me with just your words?"

"It's a talent really", Emma smiled, "I mean everything that I say."

Regina closed her eyes again and sighed into the relaxing heat of the water, "I know, that's what scares me."

Emma didn't want to rush sex with the queen again; they needed to figure out themselves first; not that Emma wasn't extremely turned on just by watching the queen in the tub, but she would show self-restraint. She wanted the older woman to know she could trust her and that she was there for the long haul.

The blonde figured it might be a good idea to change the subject, "So how is Henry doing?"

Regina looked up at her, and then placed her glass down on the small table next to the tub, "Not good."

Emma lifted her head up, "What's going on?"

"He had a nightmare earlier", the brunette said in a low tone.

"About what happened", the sheriff asked?

"I'm not one hundred percent sure, but he said he keeps hearing the things Robin said to him and seeing the bastard", the watery brown eyes met the green ones.

Emma let her head fall back against the wall, "I would try and talk to him, but he is still mad at me."

"About what", Regina asked narrowing her eye brows?

Emma sigh, "My reaction to your conversation this morning at the hospital."

Regina smiled, "I'm sure he is over it by now. Maybe you could try and talk to him. He told me he would go and see Archie, but he made me promise I wouldn't try and get information about him out of the cricket."

Emma chuckled, "Wow, he acts like he knows you or something."

Regina rolled her eye, "I'm his mother, and I'm supposed to snoop."

The blonde slipped off the counter and bent over the tub kissing the other woman on the temple, "I will go and attempt to talk to our son."

Regina grabbed Emma's wrist before the blonde could turn to leave, and pulled her in for a kiss. It was soft and sweet, yet there was an unspoken yearning behind it.

Emma smiled as they parted, and let her hand slowly run through the other woman's until it slipped out of her grasp. This woman was going to be the death of her. Her stomach fluttered deep within and she sighed as she exited the room.

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Henry lay back on his bed. He had an unexplainable rage brewing like a storm inside him. He didn't know what was happening to him. He just felt angry. He had felt it a little earlier this morning, but now it was stronger. The teen hadn't told his mother the full truth because he didn't want to give her more to worry about.

A tap came from his door, "Yeah."

Emma opened the door and walked in, "Hey kid?"

"Hey", he said.

He sat up on the bed and swung his leg around to put his feet on the floor, "What's up?"

The sheriff came in and sat down beside the boy on the bed, "Just wanted to check on you. See if you wanted to talk about anything."

Henry eyed her skeptically, "Mom sent you, didn't she?"

Emma shrugged her shoulders, "She's worried about you and so am I. I know you were mad at me this morning, and I wanted to apologize for my behavior."

"Don't ever make my mom cry again", He said.

Emma wasn't sure if that was a threat or just a normal reaction for a kid standing up for his mother. It was a little creepy, but she tried to ignore it.

"I don't plan to hurt your mom, I love her. I didn't mean to hurt her this morning", she said.

"Yet you did", the boy said looking at her, his eyes had an unusual dark hue to them.

"And I apologized to her and now I am apologizing to you. Henry, are you okay, you don't seem yourself", she asked leaning closer to him to see his face.

Henry could feel his anger rising, but he shook it, "I'm fine, I'm just tired, I guess."

His birth mother stood, "Yeah, maybe that's it. I'll let you get some rest kid, and maybe we can talk more tomorrow."

"Sure", the teen responded. He knew Emma could tell something was wrong, be he desperately needed her to think he was just tired. There wasn't anything he could talk to her about, because he wasn't sure what wrong.

He watched his birth mother kiss the top of his head and exit the room, pulling the door closed behind her. He had an urge to see his grandfather, and he didn't mean prince charming. The teen waited until he heard his mother close the door to their bedroom.

He walked over to his window and looked out. There were no trees to climb down. He opened the window and looked down at the ground. It wasn't that far down, maybe he could just jump.

He climbed up sitting on the window ledge with his feet dangling outside. Here goes nothing he thought, and he pushed himself off the ledge.

His eyes were shut tight and he waited for the impact of the ground, but it didn't come. He opened his eyes and gasped. Henry was floating about two feet of the ground. He wasn't sure what to do and right before he started to go into full on panic mode, he was released and stumbled to the ground.

Henry's eyes shot up to his window, then to the front door. He thought for sure maybe one of his mother's had caught him sneaking out and used magic to keep him from falling, but neither of them were anywhere in sight.

The teen quickly ran around the house to his mother's bedroom window. He could see two shadows moving around through the curtain. He let out a breath of air, because that confirmed he was clear.

His hands were shaking, and he could feel a weird sensation running through his veins. This was so crazy. How did this happen? He had to go see his grandfather; he was the only one that could understand, because he was the Dark one.


	25. Chapter 25

**Chapter25**

Regina finished soaking in the tub and climbed out putting on her silk pajamas. She had washed her face in the sink and patted it dry with a towel. The mayor glanced down at her toothbrush holder and saw the extra toothbrush sitting in an empty slot just like it was meant to be there. She smiled to herself.

After she brushed her teeth she wiped her mouth and went into the bedroom. Emma was leaning against her dresser looking deep in thought.

"What are you thinking about", the queen asked, sitting down on the edge of the bed grabbing her moisturizer from her vanity as she passed.

"Henry is still mad at me. I tried to talk to him, but I didn't get very far", Emma said biting her lower lip.

Regina put some lotion in her hand as she raised one leg of her pajama pants, "I'm sure he's just trying to deal with all of this."

Emma nodded, "You're probably right, he just seemed weird."

The brunette rubbed the lotion onto her legs, "What do you mean?"

The sheriff walked over to the woman and sat down at her feet taking the lotion from the other woman and began applying it to the mayor's legs, "I'm not sure, he was very aggravated or irritated and it seemed it was at me. I think he even threatened me, but then he said he was tired and going to bed and he acted normal again."

Regina watched as the blonde rubbed the lotion into her skin, and it was very relaxing, "He threatened you?"

"He told me I better not make you cry again, but it wasn't the words it was the look in his eyes and the tone of his voice", Emma said seeming to stare through the bed as she thought about what she was saying.

Regina would have normally brush something like that off, but there was not anything normal about their lives, and for Emma to be affected this badly, something had to be wrong, "Well, When David and you go to check in at the convent tomorrow, I will take Henry to see Archie."

Emma nodded, giving the lotion back to the queen since she had finished putting the lotion on the mayor's legs.

Regina looked down at Emma's legs, "Why are you still wearing your jeans? You are not going to be able to sleep in those."

Emma stood up, "I wasn't sure if I was invited to stay."

Regina looked up into the blonde's eyes and she could see the insecurity, "I want you to stay."

"What about tomorrow? I'm not rushing you, but I don't know what you want. I mean I know you love me, but you said you loved me for today, but you were certain about tomorrow", Emma said looking at her.

Regina could hear how bad that must have sounded coming from her own mouth, "Can we start with the weekend, and then go from there?"

Emma stared at her for a second, but smiled, "Of course."

The queen could see how hard the sheriff was trying, but she could tell it was affecting her, but she didn't know how to do this. It was all new to her and she didn't want to mess it up. She stood up and stepped closer to the blonde. The mayor softly slid her hand across the cheek of the other woman and pulled her in for a kiss. She gently teased the sheriff's lip with her tongue, until the other woman's lips parted granting her access to her mouth.

The kiss was getting heated quickly and the mayor snapped her fingers making Emma jeans disappear, leaving her in her hot pink boy shorts. The mayor move her hands from the blonde's face, slowly down her sides bringing one of them to the flat of the sheriff's stomach, stopping as her tongue battled for dominance with the younger woman.

She slowly made her way to the waist band of the boy shorts, just as she started to slide her hand in, Emma grabbed her wrist gently and broke the kiss, "Please don't."

Regina looked shocked and hurt, "Why, did I do something wrong?"

The blonde smiled, "No, God no. I just think that if we are taking things in this relationship slow, then I think we should hold off on going this again as well."

The queen was still a little confused, "I thought this is what you wanted."

It was the sheriff's turn to look confused, "What," Emma pulled the woman to her chest, "Regina, making love with you has been like nothing else on earth, and I won't lie, I could have taken you while you were in the tub", she smiled, "But you need time to figure this thing between us out and I think it is only fair that we take our time to at least get to know each other better. And before you say something smart ass, I mean to know each other in a more intimate way and not just sex."

Regina was surprised; she did want the blonde in a sexual way, and pretty badly, but she also agreed, waiting would probably be best, but at this moment she wasn't sure how long she would last.

Emma looked at the queen, "Are you mad at me?"

Regina sort of chuckled, "No, I'm not mad", she kissed the blonde lightly on the lips, "I'm going to go check on our son before we go to sleep, so you can go ahead and get comfortable."

She walked out of the room and sighed. This could be harder than she originally thought. Now she couldn't get the hot pink boy shorts out of her head or the feel of the blonde's hands when she had been rubbing lotion on the mayor's legs. A shiver of pleasure went down her spine and straight to her core. Oh yeah, this was going to be very hard.

As she reached her son's door she lightly tapped. There was no answer so she guessed he had fallen asleep. She decided she would just check in on him like she did nearly every night since he was a baby.

Opening the door, the room was dark, but the street light beamed a yellow glow over the room. The window looked as though it was open, so she flipped the light on. She didn't care if it woke her son up or not, but it was too chilly outside for him to leave the window open. To her surprise his bed was empty.

There was an oddness to the room, almost like a scent. It was like the weird smell of the liquor that Robin had been drunk on when he came into her house, and the same liquor that was all over Henry in the woods. It was a magic scent, and Regina's pulse quickened and her stomach rolled. What if the person who cast the spell for Hook had taken her son?

"Emma", the queen screamed in panick!

A few seconds' later running feet were heard on the carpet of the hallway and Emma appeared in the doorway.

"Henry's gone," Regina said.

Emma looked around the room, "Did you check down stairs, maybe he…" She sniffed the air, "Is that liquor I smell."

"Yes, it's the same as that Henry had on him last night. What if they took him", Regina said with a shaky voice?

Emma walked closer to her lover, "What if who took him?"

"I don't know, I just know that smell is what Robin was drinking when he came here, it was the smell he had on him when he…attacked me at the office and the same as the smell that Robin poured on Henry. The only difference this time is, I can smell a magical essence on this one, well not necessarily smell, more like feel", the queen explained.

Emma's eyes grew big, "I thought maybe he just snuck out again."

Regina narrowed her eyes, "You make it sound like he sneaks out all the time."

Emma closed her eyes, "I meant to talk to you about that."

"So you have kept more secrets about my son from me", She glared crossing her arms over her chest.

The blonde sighed, "It's not like that, and he only snuck out once and I went and got him. I didn't know he snuck out when he met up with his little girlfriend."

"So when I asked you why you were wearing the shirt you did not have on when went to sleep back at your parent's plce, you lied," the brunette clenched her teeth.

Emma eyes pleaded with the queen, "I didn't mean to, Henry was working on a surprise for you and didn't want me to tell you."

"So again, you let a teenage boy make the rules? You know what, I don't have time for this, I have to find my son", the older woman huffed.

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Henry knocked on the glass door to his grandfather's shop. He knew he was probably sleeping, but he really needed to talk to him. After a few minutes, his anger was growing; he stared at the door handle. The metal of the handle started to turn red, like if it were molten lava, slowly it melted down till it hit the ground, causing the door to open.

Henry's eyes grew wide. Wow, how did he do that? He couldn't shake the hate and rage that he felt deep down. He stepped into the darkened store. The bell over the door jingled. He walked slowly in, not sure if his grandfather would come out swinging or something worse.

He heard movement from the doorway behind the curtain, without thought Henry snapped his fingers and he could hear grunting from behind the curtain, he moved his hand toward him and in turn the person behind the curtain floated out into the center of the room.

He noticed it was Belle, and gasped while he quickly released her. Gold appeared in front of him in a puff of purple smoke similar to his mother's with his fist raised, until he realized it was his grandson.

"Henry", Gold asked confused?

"I'm sorry Belle, I didn't know it was you", Henry said.

Gold grabbed his grandson face with his hand and turned his head from side to side as if he were examining it, "Where did you get magic boy?"

Henry looked into the man's eyes with tears in his, "I don't know. Something is happening to me."

Suddenly Henry screamed out in pain as he hit his knees grabbing his head.

"Belle get dressed and go to the library and stay there", Gold commanded his wife.

"Why Rumple? What's going on", Belle asked with fear in her voice?

Belle, damn it, do what I say", He snapped.

She paused only for a moment before she disappeared back behind the curtain. A few minutes later she reappeared, dressed and carrying a bag, she stopped briefly by Henry, her face full of worry, then she hurried out of the store.

Gold's face was dead serious, "Come on boy, we need to get you to the back."

Henry stood up and let his grandfather help him to the back where he sat the boy on a couch.

"What's wrong with me", Henry said.

Gold sat in a chair across from the boy and ran is hand over his mouth, "I'm not completely sure", he said, "What are you feeling?"

"Anger and rage and I don't know why. I keep seeing people that have made me mad in my mind and all I can think about is how I can hurt them. The headache is new, though", the teen said.

The man looked closely at the boy, "When did this start?"

"This morning after we got home from the woods", he said, then he winced in pain again but then a weird growl escaped his throat. What the hell was wrong with him?

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"Where did he go when he snuck out the first time", Regina asked with coldness to her voice.

Emma was hurt by the tone, but responded, "The library."

Regina grabbed the blonde by the arm and they disappeared in a cloud of purple smoke. They reappeared outside the library, "Umm, Regina?"

"What", the queen snapped?

Emma gestured towards her own clothes, "I'm not exactly dressed for this."

Regina rolled her eyes, but waved her hand making the blonde's jeans and shoe reappear on her.

The queen headed for the door and when she went to open it Emma grabbed her forearm, "I'm sorry, but he trusted me and he wasn't in danger so I made the call not to tell you."

The mayor tried to pull her arm free, but the blonde refused to release it.

"Mrs. Swan how am I supposed to trust you when you keep secrets from me that pertain to my son", the brunette asked with her eye brows furrowed.

Emma clenched her jaw, "Wow. So not only are we back to Miss. Swan, we are back to you saying your son. Boy, this day just keeps getting better."

When the older woman's expression didn't change, the blonde released her arm. Damn it, this keeps getting harder. We take one step forward only to take five back, she thought. She watched the other woman open the door and walk into the building; Emma sighed and then followed her inside.

The light was on and they could hear someone moving around in the loft upstairs.

"Hello", Regina called out?

Quick footsteps could be heard on the stairs as they were descending. Belle rounded the corner and her eyes widened when she saw the other two woman.

"Regina, Emma? What are you two doing here", Belle asked?

Regina looked at the woman for a moment, "We are looking for Henry, is he here?"

The beauty looked from one woman to the other with surprise, "No, he is with his Grandfather."

Emma narrowed her eyes in confusion, "Why would he be with my dad?"

Belle's eyes remained large, "Umm, not that grandfather."

"What the hell would he be doing with Rumple", Regina hissed.

Emma could see a very red and irritated mark on Belle's neck, "What happened to your neck", she asked thinking maybe Gold had gotten rough or something?

The Aussie swallowed, "Henry."

Regina stiffened and glared, "Mrs. Gold, do you expect me to believe my son attacked you?"

Belle rubbed the place on her neck, "He did it with magic. He broke into the store a little while ago and I was going to see who had come in and he grabbed me by my throat, but once he saw it was me, he let me go. Rumple seemed very concerned and made me come here."

Emma could tell the woman spoke the truth, and Regina looked over to the blonde to confirm and she nodded.

Before Emma could say anything the queen disappeared in a cloud of smoke. Emma let out another sigh.

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Regina appeared outside the pawn shop. She could see the door was ajar and the contorted door handle on the ground. The brunette bent down and grabbed the handle. The object was still very warm, but enough to burn her.

How could her son have magic? Just because Emma had it, didn't mean he did. She was lost in her thoughts and hadn't heard the blonde come up behind her.

"You know, it's a good thing the library like a block away", the sheriff said.

Regina didn't acknowledge the blonde's words; instead she continued to examine the door handle.

"So that's it? You're done with me now", Emma threw her hands up?

The queen looked up at her, "What?"

The blonde ran her hand through her hair, "I'm asking if we are through?"

"Why in the hell would we be through? I, the same as you Miss. Swan, can get mad too", she said before turning and entering the Dark one's shop. She heard Emma breathed out a sigh of relief, and had she not been angry with her at the moment, the brunette may have smiled.

"Rumpelstiltskin", the mayor called out?

"You two do not want to be here right now", Gold voice called from the back room of the store.

Regina stormed towards the back but stopped when she heard an almost demonic growling coming from that direction. She turned and looked at Emma who was following her with a concerned expression.

The brunette continued forward, but at a slower pace. As she pulled the curtain back she could she Gold sitting in the arm chair with a blank look on his face but staring intensely at the boy across from him.

"Henry, honey", she called softly?

His head snapped in her direction. He looked angry and it seemed his eyes were now the color of coal. This wasn't her little boy.

Suddenly he started laughing in a sinister manner, "Well if it isn't the pathetic Evil queen."

Her mouth fell open as her suspicions were confirmed, this was not her Henry.

The mayor's eye looked over to Rumple who was still sitting with the same look.

"What is wrong with him", she asked as she glared at the dark one.

He inhaled deeply then released it, "I'm not completely sure."

"I see you brought your love sick dog with you", the boy said looking towards Emma as he laughed.

Regina glanced back at Emma, who seemed to keep her expression neutral, other than the worry she had for the well being of their child.

"Henry, honey how are you feeling", the queen asked?

"Fuck you. Like you actually give a shit about anyone other than yourself", He snapped.

"Henry", Emma scolded!

The boy looked up at his other mother, "You are not my mother, you threw me away remember, just like your parents threw you away?"

Emma started to fire back but Rumple stood and put up his hand to stop her, "Do not attempt to speak rationally to him, he doesn't comprehend that in this state."

"Shut up old man. My father would still be alive if it weren't for you. Belle will see you for what you really are, a coward", He growled.

Rumple looked down at the ground and licked his lips, "Perhaps we should go into the other room to talk."

"You can't handle the truth can you imp", the boy shouted at him as they moved into the main store room.

The three stood in silence for a moment. What the hell was going on? She would have normally laughed at any kind of truth riddled insult that was shoved at Gold, but there was nothing funny about this.

"What the hell is going on", she asked?

Gold looked up, "I put a protection spell on the couch. He can't use his magic and he can't leave the spot he is in."

The mayor put one hand on her hip and the other on her forehead as she paced. She was just now noticing that she was still in her silken pajamas, and shook her head.

"So what do you know", the queen asked?

Rumple leaned up against the counter, sporting his blue robe and striped slippers, "Well he seems to have been contaminated by some sort of dark magic."

Emma tilted her head, "Like he is possessed?"

The man scratched his head, "No, more like he has been poisoned. This isn't spiritual, it's magical."

Another growl came from the back room, and Rumpled shook his head slowly.

"You're eating this up aren't you", Regina asked with darkening eyes.

Rumple stood up straight walking closer to the brunette, "If this was happening to you, I might be, but it is happening to my grandson, so no I am not."

"Are you trying to pretend you care about Henry now", the blonde asked?

The man's head turned to Emma, "My son was a good man. He was a better man than me, and that is what I see in Henry. I would not wish any harm to come to the boy. The last thing I would want is for him to be like either of us, he said gesturing between the queen and himself, he is all that I have left of my Bae."

Regina saw the fire flash in his eyes and the crack in his voice and she didn't need the sheriff to confirm if he was telling the truth because she was pretty sure she had just gotten her answer. She put her hands up in surrender.

"So what do we do now", she asked?

"I think this is going to be a team effort, so Mrs. Swan may want to call in her parents", He said looking to each of the women.


	26. Chapter 26

**Chapter26**

Emma had jumped up onto Rumple's counter, getting a raised eyebrow from the man, but he said nothing. Her parents had got Granny to stay with Neal, and for the safety of her feeling at what may come out of their teenage son's mouth, Gold suggested that the short haired brunette go to the library and research through some old books and see if they could find something.

David leaned with the back lower half of himself rested against the counter next to his daughter. Regina paced the floor rubbing her neck, while Gold rummaged through some of his stuff looking for specific spell books.

Emma watched the brunette pace and she chewed on her lower lip. She wanted to go and comfort the other woman, but she was afraid the woman would not want her too. After a battle with her brain, she jumped down from the counter and walked across the floor to her lover.

"Are you okay", Emma flinched because that was stupid and she knew the response would reflect that.

"Do I look okay to you", she snapped and then rubbed her hand over her forehead, "I'm sorry, I..."

Emma pulled the other woman to her chest, "I know. We are going to figure this out."

Regina let out a sob, and her tears flowed freely.

The blonde could see the surprised look on both of the men's faces. They didn't see the queen apologize or cry very often for that matter; come to think of it the only time David had seen her cry was when she said goodbye to Henry and Emma before the second curse.

"And who would have thought the Evil queen has tear ducts. Must be all of the guilt catching up with her", Henry's voice yelled out from the back room.

Emma's eyes met her father's and then Gold's, but then they all looked down at the floor. Regina raised her head and immediately, and then wiped her tears as if she were ashamed. The blonde closed her eyes and sighed quietly. How in the hell was she going to get this woman to show all of herself, when shit like this keeps happening, she thought to herself. She wanted to shout at him to shut up, but she knew it wouldn't help.

Emma snapped her head up, "Wait a minute. Regina, what did you say back at the house?"

"Which time", she said sarcastically.

Emma ignored the remark, "Didn't you say something about the first time Robin assaulted you he smelt like the alcohol we smelled on Henry and in his room. Then you said he smelled like that when he attacked you at your house?"

Regina narrowed her eyes suspiciously, "Yeah."

"Every time we were around Hook, he had been drinking too, there has to be a connection. David, are both of the men's effects still in our custody", Emma asked looking at her father.

David stood up straight, "Umm yeah, it's all still at the station."

The sheriff looked at her lover, "I need to go talk to someone, but I'll be back."

"No", Regina said.

Emma looked up at her questionably, but the brunette said, "I'm going with you."

The blonde wanted to argue, but then figured it wouldn't do any good, and Regina Mills was not one for standing around twiddling her thumbs.

"Where to", the mayor asked grabbing the other woman's arm?

"The Story Brooke labs", she said looking at her father who in turned raised his eye brows.

Regina didn't hesitate with a wave of her hand they disappeared in her purple cloud of smoke.

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The queen remembered hearing Emma threaten a man over the phone and then later learned that that man worked here. She kept her comments to herself and followed the other woman into the building.

Emma pushed the button on the intercom next to the same large vault door.

"Sheriff? What can I do for you tonight", a very deep voice answered.

"Gordon, my man, I need a favor", the blonde said laughing nervously.

"You said if I rushed the rape kit, that we were square", the voice said.

Emma tucked her hair behind her ear, "I said I need a favor, not that you owed me."

There was a long pause and Regina was starting to get antsy. Before she could say something harsh, there was a loud click and beep, and then the door opened.

The brunette was a little shocked at the sheer size of the man. He was indeed large, and looked as though he could crush raw coconuts with his bare hands. She had to admit now it was very much flattering that the sheriff had threatened the man for her.

He widened his eyes when he saw the mayor, "Madam Mayor, I didn't know you were here, I could only see the sheriff in the intercom camera."

The queen could see the sympathy in his eyes and she knew it was because of the attack. It made her feel uncomfortable, and she shifted in her stance.

"What is the favor", He asked now looking at Emma.

"I need you to assist the mayor in running some test on some alcohol bottles", the blonde said.

He looked confused and looked at the mayor then back to the other woman, "What is so important about alcohol bottles? Was someone slipped a mickey or something?"

Emma made eye contact with the mayor, and then looked back to the big man, "Something like that."

"What would I need the mayor for? No offense ma'am", he said to the mayor.

The mayor smirked, "None taken."

Emma smiled at the older woman's tone, "Actually, you will be assisting the mayor. She specializes in potions; you are needed for your equipment and the blood testing of our son."

He raised his eye brows, "This has to do with magic and your kid?"

Regina was preparing herself for him to say no or that it wasn't his problem, but instead he said, "Okay, I'm in."

For a moment Regina's mouth was open, she quickly snapped it shut, "So just like that, you're going to help?"

He looked down at the mayor from his tall stature, "I would do anything for Henry, and I am totally fascinated with magic, and can I add, I have always been a fan of yours Madam Mayor."

Even Emma looked skeptical at that remark, but Regina let it go and instead figure it was time to use those charms she was so notorious for using, "Well Gordon, Let's get to work, shall we?"

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Emma waited outside the library with her arms crossed over her chest leaning against the brick wall. She literally felt like pouting. Why did her father think it was it was a good idea for her to have her mother tag along with her? She had asked David to join her but he was adamant that he stay with Mr. Gold and watch over Henry.

It's not that she had a really good reason to be mad at her mother. Mary Margret had been more than right when she told the blonde off at the dock. The truth be told she was glad she had said the things she did, because Emma may not have gone and apologized to the mayor so quickly. The mayor had called the sheriff's behavior childlike on a number of occasions, and now thinking back on it, she would have to agree with her. The blonde was feeling even more guilt about her reaction to her son's and the mayor's conversation that she had overheard.

"You ready to go", her mother asked after exiting the library?

Emma was pulled from her thoughts, "Yeah."

They climbed into the truck David had driven to the pawn shop, and headed towards the convent. Regina had already collected evidence from the station, and would be headed to collect the blood from Henry as soon as they could.

Normally the drive up to the convent only took a quick few minutes to reach, but tonight, with her mother beside her in silence, it felt as though it were taking forever.

"So how did the talk with Regina go", the short haired brunette asked?

Emma started to tell her mother that it was none of her business, but decided it was not in her best interest to continue to act like a child, "Good, I guess."

Mary Margret looked over at her, "What does that mean?"

Emma sighed, "She said she loves me for today."

Her mother stared at her for a second, "Well, that's a start, right?"

The blonde glanced over at the other woman, "It's better than nothing."

"She doesn't know how to love. I mean she loves Henry, and has done a lot to change, however she did not always make the best choices if you remember correctly. She can be a little possessive, and in some cases she can be a little obsessive", Mary Margret smiled at her daughter, and then touched her arm, "She will learn, it just takes a little time."

Emma just smiled back. She knew this and had been trying to remind her self of this all night.

"We would get to learn more about our relationship and figure some stuff out if shit would stop happening every few minutes", Emma said.

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Regina walked into the pawn shop with Gordon following her.

"That puffing thing is awesome", the large man said with a goofy grin on his face.

The queen just shook her head. Her stomach was in knots from the anticipation of having to deal with her son in this evil state he seemed to be in.

Rumple was flipping through the pages of a book seeming frustrated.

"Fuck off. You pussy whipped bastard", Henry hollered as David stomped passed the curtain and back into the store room.

"We have to do something soon, I can't take this much longer", David huffed.

Regina fought hard to not let the man see the smile that was threatening to cross her lips. It was not a funny situation, nor did she think it was amusing when her son was throwing insults at her, but the look on David's face, was one for the history books. The once suave, cool and debonair man was now fuming or maybe it was pouting, she wasn't exactly sure.

"Did you find anything useful in those dusty books of yours Rumple, or are you just wasting precious time", the mayor said as she walked closer to the counter.

The Dark one glanced up with a small smile, "Still searching Dearie? Have you brought something useful, or have you come to throw insults?"

Regina rolled her eyes, "We have to get a blood sample from Henry."

"Good luck with that", David grumbled.

The mayor looked at the former prince, "Thanks for a show of confidence."

"Sorry but your son has taken all of my confidence with his comments", David said, but then noticed Gordon, "Hey Gordon. What are you doing here? Did my daughter threaten you again?"

Gordon smiled, "No, not this time. I'm here to help the mayor."

"Ah, so she must have threatened you", he smirked at the queen.

Regina gave a sarcastic smile back, "Actually, Charming, he offered to help."

Rumple cleared his throat, "Can we get on with this? You are both getting on my nerves."

The mayor walked up to the curtains and took a deep breath. She was trying to push her emotions to the side, so that whatever had a hold of her son would not get the better of her.

She pulled the curtains open and walked through. Henry sat on the couch looking a lot like a scene from a horror movie. His eyes were jet black, with no sign of white, and his skin was pale except for the black veins that ran down the sides of his neck.

The other three men had followed her into the small room. She paused for a moment to take in her son's non-human appearance. He must have heard her breath catch as she tried to stifle a gasp, "Oh is there something bothering you mother?"

Regina clenched her jaw to avoid saying anything.

"Oh come on your majesty, you must be dying inside to use your sassy sarcasm or infamous insults", the boy smiled.

The queen still said nothing and did everything she could to avoid looking into his eyes.

"You're disappointing me mother, you had more sass with the thief, and even that was weak", the teen chuckled.

Regina turned to the other men, "Let's get this over with, shall we?"

"Did I hit a nerve, mother? What about your savior? Wasn't she supposed to protect you? Oh wait that's right, you don't need anyone, you proved that when you killed your own father", Henry's eyes seemed to grow even darker, if that was even possible.

The mayor's eyes met David's, tears were welling up and he could see they were about to spill, "Go wait outside, we can do this."

Regina wanted to stay, she wanted to make sure her son was cared for, but at this moment, that was not her son. She could not take any more of the things that were coming out of his mouth, if Regina cried in front of evil teen, he would definitely eat her alive. She did not respond to the prince, she just walked out of the room.

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Emma pushed the doorbell outside the convent. She could hear its bells echo from inside. Just to make sure the importance of their visit was not conveyed through the first ring, she pressed the button again.

"Emma, I'm sure they heard you the first time", Snow said putting her hand on her daughter's shoulder.

"Well, you can never be too sure", Emma smiled sweetly at the older woman.

After a couple of minutes, footsteps could be heard coming closer to the door. The clicking of the lock could be heard and then the door opened. The always serious Blue was on the other side of the large wooden door.

"Can I help you sheriff", she glance over and noticed the other woman, "And Snow?"

"Yeah, we have a serious problem, and need to have a talk", Emma said a little less than friendly.

Mother Superior stared at the blonde for a moment, but then said, "Follow me. I know a better place we can talk."

Emma and Mary Margret followed the head fairy down the long corridor until they came to a door to their left. Once inside, Blue closed the door behind them and then walked around them and behind her desk where she sat down, "Please have a seat."

The sheriff looked at her mother impatiently, but the brunette motioned for the younger woman to have a seat, "Sorry to bother you so late, but we have a little bit of a problem and everything points us in this direction sister", Snow said gently.

The expression on the fairies face never changed, "What kind of problem would point you here?"

"A magic problem", Emma said narrowing her eyes.

The fairy looked the sheriff in the eyes, "Can you be a little more specific sheriff?"

"Henry has been poisoned", Mary Margret interrupted.

Surprisingly enough, Mother Superior looked confused, "I thought you said it was a magic problem? What does that have to do with Henry being poisoned?"

"He was poisoned with magic", Emma said, "Black magic to be specific."

The fairy looked from each woman, and then tilted her head, "You think someone poisoned him with black magic? That's not possible."

Emma stood up, "Well that's funny, because my kid suddenly has magic, and is evil as hell right now."

"Why do you think the magic came from here", Blue asked?

"Because Regina wouldn't poison her son, I don't have black magic and Gold didn't do it either, so that only leaves the fairies", Emma said.

"Where is he", the fairy asked?

"He's at Gold's shop", Snow said sheepishly.

The fairy opened the drawer of her desk and pulled out a key, she then stood and walked to the coat rack. With the key, she put it into a slot below a coat hook and turned it. A bigger drawer at the bottom of the coat rack popped open and revealed a book. She reached down and picked it up, "Take me to him."

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Regina paced back and forth outside of the pawn shop. She did not blame her son for the words that had come out of his mouth, but it hurt all the same. She rubbed her temples with the middle finger and the thumb of her right hand. She really needed to get a grip, she told herself. She would have never been so weak in the past, to let meager words upset her like they have done.

"Get off of me", Henry's voice was heard all the way outside. The only trouble now was that she could hear her Henry's voice, but she knew deep down it wasn't.

"Mom, their hurting me", He called again.

A tear rolled down the mayor's cheek. She wanted to run in there and stop this, but she knew it was just a hoax. She had to prove she was stronger than the evil Henry thought, but it was killing her.

"Regina", came Emma's voice from behind her?

She spun on her heels literally throwing herself into the blonde's arm.

"What's wrong? Are you hurt", Emma asked with much concern?

Regina stayed in the other woman's arms and shook her head. She could see the other two women standing behind the blonde.

"Why is she here", the mayor asked raising her head slightly to look at the fairy?

"She asked to see Henry", Emma said.

The two women slowly parted from their embrace. The fairy looked up at the older brunette, "Do you have a problem with me examining the boy?"

Regina wanted to yell at her or make some witty comment about fairies, but right now she had nothing, so she just used her hand to gesture towards the shop door", be my guest."

Emma watched her mother follow Blue into the shop, "So what happened?"

"Just having a hard time with the things that come out of his mouth", Regina said crossing her arms.

The blonde smiled softly placing her hands on the mayor's upper arms, "You know it's not Henry, right?"

Regina nodded, but tears fell and she turned to hide her face. The sheriff pulled her quickly into her arms, "I love you. No matter what happens, remember that, and remember your son does too."

Regina tightened her grip on the blonde's neck, but said nothing. She wanted more than anything, for things to be normal. She would take a group of evil villains, or a wraith, over this any day.

"Okay, we got the sample", Gordon's deep voice came from the door of the pawn shop.

Regina loosened her grip and raised her head up, and nodded at the large man, who now looked a bit uncomfortable about interrupting the intimate moment between the two women. His hair was disheveled and he looked a lot like he had just wrestled a bear.

As the brunette started to walk passed the blonde, she leaned in and kissed her, "I love you too."

The mayor grabbed Gordon's arm and they disappeared in a cloud of smoke.


	27. Chapter 27

Readers: Sorry the last chapter took so long, but I am on vacation in North Carolina from Texas and I will be here until next week, so I am only able to write in the evening when I am at my hotel and not visiting with family, but I plan to write more while I am here. I also want to apologize again for any typos, I don't always catch them until I already post.

 **Chapter27**

Blue stared at the boy for a few minutes. He didn't really have a lot to say to the fairy. Emma figured it had to do with the fact that she thought Mother Superior did not have feelings like people. At least she didn't appear to have any by the way she acted.

Emma thought it would be a good idea to leave the room before the boy could turn his attention to her but it was a little too late.

"How does it feel to be a failure", he asked?

The blonde looked at him and tried to not seem affected by his words as he continued.

"It is your fault, you know. What Robin did to her will always be with her", he smiled.

Anger was beginning to build in the sheriff, but she looked away from the teen, in a stronger attempt to ignore him.

"How does it feel having Robin's sloppy seconds", He smirked.

"Shut up", Emma shouted stepping forward only to have David step in front of her.

Snow stood just behind the sheriff and placed her arm on her daughter's shoulder, "Come on Em, let's go."

"Well, well, if it isn't the mother of the year winner", Henry said to Mary Margret.

Snow never let her eyes fall from the blonde's, "Let's just go Emma. They can handle things from here."

"No. I want to know what Blue finds", the sheriff said pulling her arm free of her mother's.

"You should run away Emma Swan, that's what you have always done, isn't it", Henry asked tilting his head towards his birth mother?

The blonde clenched her teeth together, but looked at the fairy, "So what is this?"

The fairy looked at her then back to the teen, "I think Gold is correct, this does appear to a sort of poisoning."

"Do you know how many times the mayor snuck around with the first sheriff of this town? She seemed to enjoy spreading her legs for Gram. Have you thought that maybe this is the same situation with you? The Evil queen has no ability to love, and no one will ever love you", the boy laughed.

David stepped up into his daughter's face, "Emma get out of here. I will tell you everything when Blue is finished, but you should go."

Emma turned and walked out of the back room with Henry's voice calling behind her, "That's right, run, like you have been doing your entire life."

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Regina let out an irritated growl and then threw the glass flask she was holding. The glass shattered against the wall causing Gordon to duck his head.

"Is everything okay, madam Mayor", the large man asked?

She sighed and glared at him, "No it's not! I cannot figure out the origin of this magic essence."

Gordon reached over his desk space where he had been working and opened up his lunch box.

"Are you kidding me right now", Regina asked as she rolled her eyes.

"Give me a break, I work nights and I missed lunch", he said un-wrapping a sandwich.

The overwhelming smell of peanut butter filled her senses. Most people enjoyed the thick spreadable substance, but it was something Regina had never learned to like, and for some reason the scent was strong and was making the mayor feel a little nauseous. The brunette was not normally this sensitive to things like that. She had witness and partaken in some pretty gruesome things in her time and never once had she ever been queasy.

"What did you do, use the entire jar of that stuff", she hissed.

He laughed, "Well, no, but I did use a lot, it's PeterPan, like the best kind ever."

Regina's eye brows shot up into her hairline, "That's it!"

Gordon had taken a bite, and now his mouth was filled with the thick almost nearly impossible to swallow stuff, "What?"

"Peter Pan. It's Peter Pan's essence. How could I miss that", the mayor said moving around her work area quickly, grabbing up a flask from here and one from there and then mixing them, "How in the hell did someone get a hold of this", she said holding up her final flask towards the light.

Gordon took a drink of a soda he had opened. After a couple of swigs the last bite of his sandwich was swallowed and his mouth was clear, "What does that mean?"

She grabbed her phone and dialed a number.

"Hello", Ruby answered?

"I need a favor", the mayor said.

"Regina? Where are you", the wolf's sleepy voice seemed to come alive?

"Can you meet me at the pawn shop? I need…" the brunette started, but was interrupted.

"On my way", the waitress said and then the line went dead.

That was strange, the mayor thought to herself. She was still going to have to get used to Ruby actually being on her side for once.

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Emma slammed her back up against the outside of the pawnshop building. She had to let what the teen had said roll off her back, because she knew the real Henry would never say something like that. She also knew that if he comes out of this, that he was going to be very upset with himself.

Snow started to put her hand on her daughter's arm in an effort to comfort her, but the blonde put her hand up to stop her, "I know what you are going to say. I know he didn't mean it, but I don't want to hear it right now. I don't mean to hurt your feelings, but damn it, I have feelings too and right now they want to be alone."

Mary Margret nodded, "I understand. I am going to go back to the library for a bit and see if Belle has made any progress. Just call me if anything changes or if there is any new information."

Emma nodded and watched her mother walk across the dark abandoned street. It was too late for any traffic, and this town was one of those kinds that like to close up at eight. Granny's stayed open until ten and the Rabbit Hole stayed open until two am, but everything else was closed up tight.

The blonde ran her hands over her face, and let out a breath which puffed out in the chilly air.

"Hey Em", Ruby called as she trotted towards the sheriff from across the street.

"Ruby? What are you doing here", Emma asked?

"Regina called and asked me to meet her here. She said she needed a favor", Ruby smiled.

Emma looked up, "What kind of favor?"

"Oh, don't go getting jealous, sheriff. She just said she needed a favor and told me to meet her here", the waitress said.

"I'm not jealous, I was just wondering what she needed you for", Emma said.

"Ouch. Just for the record, I can be very useful. What's gotten into you, you seem crabby as hell", the wolf said crossing her arms over her chest?

Emma closed her eyes and leaned her head back against the cold brick wall, "Sorry, I'm just a little stressed out."

"I heard about Henry. Em, I'm sorry", the waitress said.

"Everything keeps happening. I just need everything to slow down enough for me to enjoy what I have, before something comes along and snatches it right out from under me", Emma said.

Regina had appeared around the corner from where the blonde was leaning against the wall. She had heard what the other woman had said. The brunette could not agree more and suddenly felt guilty. Everything was happening because of her or it had been connected to her in some way.

"Hey Regina", Ruby said into the darkness.

Emma turned quickly to see the mayor walk around to meet them. The blonde so hope she hadn't heard all of that, because she didn't want Regina to think she was being selfish again.

"How long were you standing there", the blonde asked?

Regina smiled gently, "Long enough, but I agree with you."

"Regina, I'm sorry I", Emma started, but she was interrupted.

Regina stepped closer to her lover and cupped the sheriff's cheek, "It's all right. You didn't do anything wrong, and as soon as all of this is over we will find the time to enjoy this", she said motioning between the blonde and herself.

The queen looked at the waitress who looked a little awkward having witnessed the private moment between the new couple, "I need you for a smelling comparison on a couple of items, if you can."

Ruby looked at the older woman for a moment, but then said, "Whatever you need."

"Beware, Blue is here", Emma said.

Regina narrowed her eye brows, "What is she doing here", the queen started to storm towards the entrance.

Emma caught her elbow, "She's here to help, I think."

The mayor's eyes found green ones, "You think?"

"I didn't know what else to do. She seemed clueless, but interested and even brought a hidden book along with her", the blonde said with pleading eyes.

Regina could see the pain in her lover's eyes, "Henry got to you, didn't he?"

Emma just stared back at her, and then she looked away, "I can't take it. I wanted to hurt him. The things he says are", she let the words die on her lips.

The brunette smiled, "Yeah I know what you mean. It's time to put a stop to that for a while."

The sheriff looked up puzzled, but followed. Henry's voice could be heard from the other room, "I can still hear the sounds of the wolf feasting upon the bones and flesh of those men in the forest. The lovely shade of red that covered her fur, have you ever seen anything more beautiful."

Ruby looked a bit uncomfortable and the queen closed her eyes to steady herself. Regina waved her hand in the air, and her son's voice stopped.

Emma looked up, "What did you do?"

"Something I should have done in the beginning, a silence spell", the queen said.

Gold appeared from behind the curtain and smiled, "Well, it's about time someone did something useful."

Regina started to make a sarcastic remark towards the imp, but stopped herself, "Where is Pandora's box?"

Rumple cocked his head to the side, "Why?"

The brunette sighed at his skepticism, "Because I need Red to tell me if the essence from the box differs from this one that I have in the flask."

The man started at her for a moment longer than she liked, "We don't have all damned night", she shoved the flask towards the man, "this is Peter Pan essence, but I need more information."

He took the flask and held it up to the light and swirled the liquid inside, then smelled it, "All right dearie, let me see here."

The man handed the flask back to the mayor and walked over to his safe and carefully entered the combination. After the door was opened, he pulled the box from inside. He stared at it for a minute and then slowly passed it to Regina.

The queen handed Ruby the flask first. The waitress held the glass carefully, and then sniffed it, much in the same manner that a dog would. After she was finished, she swapped the flask for the box. Ruby seemed a little more leery of this item, but sniffed it the same manner as the last.

Emma, Rumple and Regina were all staring at the wolf, waiting for a verdict.

Regina's impatience spoke first, "Well?"

The wolf looked as though she was in deep thought, but she said, "Well the box and the flask are both definitely Peter Pan's, but the box is before the second curse. The flask is after the second curse."

Emma crossed her arms, "What the hell does that mean?"

Regina passed the box back to Rumple, who immediately placed it back into his safe, "It means that the essence from the box is not exactly the same as the essence from the flask."

Emma still looked confused, so Regina said, "They are both from Peter Pan, but the magic in the box has not been touched since the second curse. The magic inside the flask was used after the curse."

"So Peter Pan is out", Emma asked?

Blue came out from behind the curtain, "No. Peter Pan is inside Pandora's Box. Whoever used the magic from the flask had to either have collected it way before the curse, or they would have had to collect it after the curse, but they did not get it from the source itself."

"It's complicated, I get it", Emma said pinching the bridge of her nose.

Regina smiled at her lover, but then quickly tried to pretend she hadn't, because Rumple and Ruby were both looking at her. Ruby smiled at the sight, but the imp seemed unamused.

The queen cleared her throat, "Right now, all we can do is wait for the blood test samples to finish running. Gordon assures me it will not take to terribly long."

"What good is a blood test? This is a magical problem, not a biological problem, right", Emma asked?

"Normally yes, but I need to know some biological factor from the test results, but because it is also magic related, I have placed a locator spell on the equipment to track where the magic came from, somewhat in reverse", Regina explained.

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The sun was on the verge of peeking over the horizon and Ruby had decided to run to the diner and get everyone food. The night was going excruciatingly slow, and the queen was tired. She didn't feel like herself. Maybe she was coming down with something; she just knew something wasn't right.

Ruby walked into the shop carrying half the diner it appeared and was now struggling to open the door on her own. Emma rushed over and helped her, while David started collecting some of the bags out of the waitress's arms, and then placed them on the counter.

Ruby walked over to the counter and began pulling Styrofoam containers out.

"This one is David's", she said passing it to him.

The next container she held it out to Gold and he took it.

"Emma", she said holding the white container out towards the sheriff, and then looked at Regina, "This one is yours".

Regina walked the few feet and took the offered food, "Thank you."

The queen stepped back watching everyone open their food and start digging in. A small wave of nausea comes over her, but she swallowed and let it subside.

"Is something wrong with your order, Regina", Ruby asked?

The mayor smiled, "No, I'm just taking a moment."

Emma looked up at her with concern, and Regina noticed. She decided she should force herself to eat so that the blonde would not worry her to death about eating. The brunette opened the container and as soon as the smell of her salad dressing hit her, she nearly dropped the container onto the counter and ran for the door. Running to the side of the building she emptied the contents of her stomach. What the hell was wrong with her? She had never been sick a day in her life.

"Are you okay", Emma's asked softly from behind her?

Regina wiped her mouth and leaned against the brick building, "Yeah, I think I may be catching some sort of bug."

The blonde stepped closer grabbing the brunette's wrist lightly, "Hey, maybe I should take you home so you can get some sleep."

The queen shook her head, "I need to stay here and wait for Gordon."

Emma smiled, "No you don't. Gordon will call when he has something, besides if you are getting sick then you should try to catch it before it gets bad. I promise I will keep you posted."

Regina stared into the blonde's eyes then smiled, "Okay, but it is not necessary to take me home, I can poof, remember?"

Emma smiled and looked down at the ground, "You know, you can talk to me, right?"

The queen grabbed the other woman in a hug burying her face into the blonde locks, "I know."

The sheriff tightened the embrace and kissed the top of the brunette's head, but only enjoyed the position for a short moment, because the mayor disappeared in purple smoke.

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Emma walked back into the shop and noticed everyone looking at her, "What?"

David pointed towards the door, "Is she okay?"

"I'm not sure. Regina thinks that she is coming down with something", Emma said.

Blue appeared from behind the curtain, "Did the mayor leave that flask?"

Emma looked up at her suspiciously, "Why?"

The fairy crossed her arms, "Mrs. Swan, I am only here to help. I would like to do some test of my own."

Emma wanted to tell her that only one person had the right to call her that but decided it wasn't the time for petty arguments, "You're not taking it out of any of our sights."

Blue raised an eye brow, "I had no intentions of leaving with the item. I only wish to inspect it."

Emma looked from her father to Gold, who both appeared to nod in agreement for the fairy to have her way. The blonde pointed to the counter where the flask sat, "it's all yours."

Blue walked over and picked up the flask. She held it to the light and swirled the liquid around, and then sniffed it, the same as Emma had seen Rumple do. You would have thought they were partaking a wine tasting.

The fairy narrowed her eyes. She ran the flask under her nose again and inhaled, "There is something different about this magic."

Gold looked up at her from his food, "Different how?"

Blue never moved her eyes from the liquid that danced around inside the glass flask, "There is more than just black magic mixed here."

"Like light magic", Emma asked, throwing the remains of her food into the trash bin next to the door?

The fairy locked eyes with the blonde, "No. This is not light magic, it is more like", she swirled the liquid again, "No, it can't be."

"Can't be what", David asked as the rest of the room grew more impatient as they listened to the fairy converse with herself?

Blue looked up at the prince and then let her eyes sweep the room, until they finally fell on Emma, "Fairy dust."

Silence filled the building. Emma looked around waiting to be filled in on the punch line, "Okay, so it's fairy dust. What does that mean?"

Gold narrowed his eyes at the fairy, but spoke to the blonde, "It means that a fairy is involved."

"Then this is your mess and you need to fix it", Emma snapped at Mother Superior.

Blue's expression remained serious, because that is probably the only expression she possessed, "It will take time, but all I can promise at this moment is that I may be able to find the fairy responsible. I do not know yet how to reverse this."

The sheriff pinched the bridge of her nose. Her father put his hand on her shoulder, "If we find the fairy we may find out how to undo this."

"What other options do we have", Emma asked throwing her hands up in the air.

She turned towards Rumple, "What do you think?"

Surprise came across the Dark one's face that the savior had actually asked for his opinion. He ran his fingers down the sides of his mouth, "She's right. We need to know what fairy is involved and we can go from there."

Emma let her eyes linger on him for a moment and then she turned to Blue, "Fine. Find them."

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She wiped her face and mouth with the cool wet cloth. Regina placed her palms down on the counter on either side of the sink and looked at her reflection in the mirror. What was wrong with her? Regina Mills does not get sick.

The brunette had taken a shower, but had to cut it short due to the fact that she had gotten sick again. She had put on her pajamas and brushed her teeth, although she wasn't sure what good that would do until the sick feeling disappeared. Maybe she should go down stairs and get a cold bottle of water from the fridge, it could help.

She walked down the stairs and as she rounded the corner to the darkened kitchen, she bumped into Emma, "Christ! Emma you scared the hell out of me", Regina screamed!

Emma was just as startled, but managed to say, "Sorry, you forgot your food at the shop so I thought I would bring it to you."

The mayor's hand was over heart and she was trying to calm herself a bit, and she managed to find the light switch and flip it on, "What about Henry?"

Emma sat the container down on the counter, "David, Snow and Gold said that I should come check on you and that they would all keep an eye on our son."

Regina walked over to the fridge to get a water bottle, "Did Gold find anything in those damned books of his?"

Emma crossed her arms, "Well no, but Blue was able to confirm that fairy dust was mixed in with the other magic."

Regina didn't say anything. She stood there looking off into the distance or at least through the wall. She knew the fairies didn't really care for her, but they have never done something so callous. They usually didn't pull any punches, so this was disturbing. Other than Blue herself, the only fairy that came to mind that might still have an axe to grind with her would be Tinker Bell, but even then she thought they had squashed the thing between the two of them, however Tink was the only fairy she could think of that would have had access to Peter Pan or his magic.


	28. Chapter 28

**Chapter28**

Regina gently lifted the blondes arm from around her waist. It was well past noon and the queen wasn't feeling well at all. She tried her best to slip out of the bed without waking Emma up. Running for the bathroom, she shut the door behind her.

After she finished hurling, she went to the sink to wash her face and brush her teeth.

"Are you okay", Emma asked from the doorway?

Regina looked up at the blonde through her reflection in the mirror, "Yeah."

The sheriff walked over to the other woman and placed her hand to her forehead, "Well, you don't feel like you have a fever, but you do look very pale. Maybe you should go and see Dr. Wales or something."

The queen smiled and grabbed the hand towel from the rack to wipe her mouth, "I'll call him later."

She could see the doubt in Emma's eyes, and she smiled softly, "I promise I will call him, if he is concerned then I will go in, all right?"

Emma kissed her forehead and then smiled back, "All right. You should probably stay", she was interrupted by Regina sprinting for the toilet and retching into it.

After a few heaves, the mayor looked up into worried green eyes, "Get going, I will be fine, if I need anything I will call you."

The blonde looked a little unsure, but after a minute she turned to exit the bathroom. Regina let out a sigh. She didn't want Emma to continue worrying about her. This was nothing more than a twenty four hour bug, at least that what she was hoping, but for some reason dread was filling her stomach.

Emma came back into the bathroom fully dressed. In the back of the mayor's mind she hated that she had missed the blonde undressing, but at the same time she was in no way in the position to be worried about the sheriff's nudity at the moment.

The younger woman brushed her hair and teeth, leaned down and kissed Regina on the top of her head, "Okay, I going to go and check on Henry. You will call the doctor, right?"

Regina nodded as she stood from her position on the floor, "Yes."

The blonde smiled and left. The brunette listened to her descend the stairs and then the front door slamming closed as she exited the house. Regina flushed the toilet, then went into the other room to grab her phone.

She dialed the hospital, and waited for an answer, "Story Brooke Hospital", a woman said.

"This is Mayor Mills, I need to speak with Dr. Wales", Regina said using her professional tone.

"Mayor Mills, I will put you through right now", the woman said nervously.

The phone dialed again, this time the doctor picked up, "Wales."

"Hello Doctor, this is Regina Mills", she said.

"Miss. Mills, what can I do for you", he asked.

She felt awkward speaking to him, "Umm, have you gotten the results back from my tests."

She had test ran after her attack to check for sexually transmitted diseases, but she had not heard back from him yet.

"Let me check", the doctor said and Regina could hear him moving papers around, "All test are negative Miss. Mills."

Regina snapped, "Then why in the hell hasn't someone called me to tell me?"

"The test results just arrived today, and had it been something to worry about, I would have called you personally Miss. Mills. I thought this would be good news", the man seemed to stumble a bit.

Instead of replying to the doctor, she just hung up on him. She should have asked him about this bug she had, but she was pretty sure that since the test were clear, then that meant that this was just a bug. She would just go into town later and get some nausea medicine and some soup or something, and it would be fine.

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Emma walked into the pawn shop a little surprised to see Snow standing at the counter, "Hey mom?"

Mary Margret looked up and smiled, "Hey, I heard Regina wasn't feeling well last night, how is she?"

Emma ran her hand through her hair, "Still sick. She didn't seem to be running a fever, but she keeps throwing up. She said it is probably a bug of some sort."

Snow didn't respond, she just looked at Emma with curiosity.

Emma looked back at her mother with equal curiosity, "What?"

Snow shook her head, "Nothing. Since you are here, I have to go check on Neal and run a couple of errands. If you would like, I could stop by and check on Regina."

Emma smiled at her mother, "Sure that would be great."

Snow's lips smiled, but her eyes seemed to be far away, "Well, I'll return later, just text me if you need anything."

Emma nodded and watched her mother leave the building. What was with her mother? She seemed a little distracted, but then a lot has been going on nonstop so she figured she should just let it go. The sheriff had entirely too many things to worry about right now, one being her son current state and how they were going to get him back to normal.

"Hey Em", Ruby called from the entry way.

"Oh hey Ruby", She said noticing the bag in one hand and the carrier with coffee cups in the waitresses other hand, "Please God, tell me that there is coffee there for me."

Ruby smiled and held the carrier out, "Not God, but there is coffee and homemade blueberry muffins here for you and whoever else here wants some."

"You rock", Emma said taking one of the cups.

"I know", the waitress said walking passed the blonde to put the bag and carrier down on the counter behind her.

David walked into the shop, "Good afternoon ladies. How's Regina feeling?"

Emma took a sip of her coffee then lowered it, "Still sick. She is supposed to call the doctor and mom said she was going to go and check on her. Any news from Blue?"

David shook his head, "Not yet."

The blonde sighed, then walked to the curtain and peeked in. Henry appeared to be asleep on the couch. She couldn't help but to think about how much he looked like the sweet good hearted teen he had been before this. She let the curtain fall closed again, and walked back to the counter.

"Has anyone seen Gold", she asked before taking another drink of her coffee?

"He will be here soon, I think he was swinging by the library to see his wife", David said.

Emma dug into the bag and grabbed a muffin and then pulled it out.

Her father looked at her, "You do know it is after noon, and you are eating a muffin?"

Emma narrowed her eyes at him, "It is breakfast for me and Ruby."

Ruby smiled, "Yeah, and who said muffins could only be eaten at breakfast time anyways."

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Regina leaned against the kitchen counter trying to push the sick feeling that was working its way up, down. She had nothing left to throw up and she couldn't even imagine eating something. Her stomach muscles hurt so bad from all of the heaving.

The doorbell rang, echoing through the house. She walked into the hallway and then to the door. She opened it and found Mary Margret standing there holding a couple of shopping bags, "Snow?"

The short haired brunette smiled, "Hey, Emma said you still weren't feeling too well so I told her I would swing by and check up on you."

Regina smiled back and opened the door wider to allow the other woman to enter. They both went into the kitchen and the mayor asked, "Can I get you something, some tea perhaps?"

Snow sat her bags down on the island, "Why don't you let me", she started pulling items out of her bag," Were you able to call the doctor?"

The queen looked at her with a raised eyebrow, "I was."

Regina watched the items that the other woman pulled from the bag. The first item was a box of saltine crackers, and a six pack of ginger ale came from the first bag.

Snow said, "The cracker and soda will help your stomach, I'm sure you haven't been able to keep anything down", Mary Margret looked up at the older woman, "What did the doctor say?"

Regina bit the inside of her cheek, "I didn't ask him about my sickness. I asked about my test results from the rape and he said everything came back negative, so this could only mean I have caught some sort of bug."

The short haired brunette looked sympathetically into the other woman's eye, "That's not all that it could be."

Regina narrowed her eyes, "What do you mean?"

Snow reached into the other bag she had brought and pulled out two boxes and passed them to the mayor. Regina took one and looked at it. Her mouth fell open and she was speechless. It was two pregnancy tests. Her hands began to shake and she was starting to feel nauseous again.

Mary Margret touched the queens arm lightly, "I'll make us some tea, while you take these test."

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Gold had called to say that he would be a little longer than expected, because he had a few matters to attend to. Emma didn't see the harm in it, especially since they were just playing the waiting game at the moment. Ruby had gone back to the diner to help Granny out.

Emma sat on the counter swinging her legs back and forth as she looked down at the floor. She kept thinking about Regina and Henry. Would they ever have a normal relationship and be the family the blonde wanted more than anything?

"Em, I hope you know, I think your mom was a little hard on you the other day", David said breaking the silence.

She looked up, "You shouldn't, she had every right to talk sense into me."

"You are stubborn, but I know you have feelings too, just like Regina, you're human", he smiled at his daughter; "I know you still have a lot of unresolved feeling with your mom and I, and I get it. We weren't there like we were supposed to be, and I can say all day long that we placed you in that wardrobe to protect you, but it doesn't change the fact that we made that decision. I don't know what all you went through having to grow up in the foster system, but I am sure it was awful and I know you were alone, and I am sorry", David had tears in his eyes, "I don't know if we will ever get to a place where you will ever feel that you can tell me everything that has gone on in your life, but if you do, I am here. I am your father and I was supposed to love and protect my little girl, and I failed. Sometimes I think we may have made the wrong choice to put you in that damned wardrobe, and then I get mad at Regina all over again."

Emma turned her head away from him to wipe a stray tear that fell, "But had this not all happened, there would be no Henry."

David wiped his eyes with the palms of his hands, "I know, I thought about that too. I have seen you watch your mother with Neal and I can see the hurt in your eyes."

Emma jumped down from the counter, "Dad, I love my little brother."

David smiled, "I know that, but it doesn't change what I see."

"When I first got back from New York, and saw mom pregnant, I can't lie. I was devastated. It was as if you both had just forgotten me and started over. Then when he was born, I was so happy for you guys, but then I saw the way mom looked at him, or the way you held him and I never got to know what that felt like, and suddenly I was jealous. Can you believe that, I was jealous of an innocent baby", tears were falling down the blonde's face.

"Oh God Emma, we could never forget you. I am so, so sorry, I would give anything to have had held you when you were scared, or to tell you that I loved you. We didn't get to experience your first steps, words, or any of the things parents are supposed to. We knew way before we ever had you that you were going to be a girl. Do you know how much I had fantasied about being your father," He laughed as more tears fell from his eyes, "I loved you before I ever met you. I had vowed I would be the best father a little girl could ever ask for, and look at what happened. I sent my baby away to live in a world without love or protection."

Emma walked over to the man and wrapped her arms around him, "The past is the past. I believe I am who I am because of the choices and experiences I made and lived through, same as you. If I keep sitting around regretting being placed in the wardrobe, then I regret Henry and Regina and that would mean you regret baby Neal, so don't. We have a long way to go as a family, but I think we will get there."

David hugged his daughter back with everything he had, he hugged her for all of the years he wasn't able to, "I love you."

"One thing that you should know, if you don't already is that I am not good with emotions and feelings, but I'm working on that, and I love you too", the sheriff said into her father's chest.

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Snow sat at the bar across from Regina sipping tea. The queen was a nervous wreck. This couldn't be happening to her. What the hell, were the Fates playing games with her as some sort of sick joke?

She had the tests sitting on the downstairs bathroom cabinet as they were waiting for the alarm to go off on her phone to let her know when it was time check the tests. She closed her eyes to concentrate on breathing, for a fear of passing out was creeping up on her.

Suddenly the alarm went off on her phone and she opened her eyes. She couldn't move, she thought she might hyperventilate.

Snow reached across the island and placed her hand on top of the queen's, "I'll check them if you want?"

Regina swallowed and looked up at the other woman and nodded to let her know that was probably a good idea. As Mary Margret left the kitchen, the older brunette took a shaky breath. She couldn't be pregnant; she had made herself barren to spite her mother. She wiped her hand across her clammy forehead.

Snow appeared in the doorway with a neutral look on her face. Regina felt impatient and aggravated that she couldn't read the other woman, "Well", she asked standing up?

The short hair brunette walked closer to her and held out one of the white sticks. Dread filled her stomach again and for a moment she was afraid to look down.

At the same time that Regina glanced down at the stick, Snow whispered, "I'm so sorry."

The stick showed a pink plus sign, and the queen clamped her hand over her mouth to stifle the sob. Tears spilled over and rolled down her cheeks simultaneously. She stumbled back and then made her way back to the island, "I take it the other stick said the same?"

Snow nodded, "Yes, they were both positive."

Regina sat back down on the stool, and closed her eyes as more tears escaped, "I don't know what to do."

"What do you mean", Mary Margret asked?

"I don't know. I am so confused. I really was a horrible person wasn't I", the queen asked?

Snow wiped away one of her own tears, "What? Regina, you are not being punished."

The older woman laughed and then sobbed, "That is sure as hell what it feels like."

The shorter woman walked around the island and put her arms around her former step mother, "You need to call Emma."

"No! You can't tell her Snow, not now, please", Regina's eyes pleaded with the other woman.

The short haired brunette tilted her head in confusion, "Why not? "

Regina sobbed again, "I can't lose her."

"Regina, Emma loves you, she won't leave you because of this", Snow said softly.

"Please Snow, I'll tell her, but I need some time", Regina's eyes pleaded again.

The other woman simply nodded her head. The older woman's face turned green and she took off for the bathroom again.

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' _I'm stopping by Granny's to grab something to eat. Do you want me to get you something',_ Emma text Regina?

The response came back rather quickly, ' _No thank you, Snow brought me some food, so I am good.'_

Emma shrugged to herself and text back, ' _Okay, I'll see you later, than. I love you.'_

The blonde wasn't sure how far Regina would go with her feelings, because Emma seeing her own words was making it all feel so real.

Her phone vibrated, _'I love you too.'_

Emma could feel the slight flutter of butterflies in her stomach and her cheeks darkened to a pinkish hue. She smiled and slid the phone into her pocket. Even though things were still not anywhere near okay in her life, for once she could taste what happiness might feel like. She opened the door to the diner and walked in.

Inside Granny's there were only a couple of patrons, so Emma slid into a chair at the table she liked to sit at and Ruby walked up, "Hey Em, you want the usual?"

She smiled and nodded to her friend, "Yep."

As Ruby went to put in the order, Emma noticed an open newspaper on the table next to her. She reached over and picked it up. She had been so consumed with everything that had been going on she hadn't seen or heard of what was going on in the town.

She closed the pre-read paper to look at the front page, laughing to herself when she read the irony in the name, 'The Mirror'. She shook her head and read the first headline, 'The Town Hall's New Face Lift". She continued to read about it, 'If you have been anywhere near the town hall, you will have noticed the amazing handmade stained glass windows.' Emma smiled; remember the beautiful art work the blue eyed man had created.

The blonde looked up as Ruby sat a mug of hot chocolate down on the table, "Those windows were pretty awesome, don't you think so?"

Ruby looked worried, "Yes they were. Emma maybe you shouldn't read that."

Emma was looking back at the page and in small writing she saw, 'Is The Sheriff Under A Spell?"

The blonde looked at the page number and began flipping through the page to find it.

Ruby tried again, this time she attempted to pull the paper from the sheriff's hands at the same time, "Em, listen to me, don't pay attention to what you read, everyone disagrees with it."

Emma narrowed her eyes. The way the waitress was trying to stop her from reading the section, only made her want to know what it said even more, so she pulled the paper back. Her eyes found the page and she started reading aloud, 'The whole town seems to be under some new curse when it comes to the Evil Queen. She has managed to pull the wool over everyone's eyes, including her arch enemy's, Snow White and Prince Charming, but the spell she has put over our Savior and Sheriff, Emma Swan tops it all. The law enforcement in this town has turned a blind eye to the facts. Two men have lost their lives, when they were only carrying out justice to a woman who has tortured and tormented thousands. She got what she deserved and as soon as everyone wakes up from this new curse she has cast, they will all see it too."

Emma's blood pressure was now through the roof and she wadded the newspaper into a ball, "Are you fucking kidding me?"

Ruby looked back nervously to her Granny, then back to the blonde, "Em, come on, it's just Sidney and no one cares what he thinks. Everyone is on Regina's side."

Emma reached into her pocket pulling out a ten dollar bill. Her eyes were dark with anger and she slid the money onto the table, "I'm suddenly not hungry, but thanks."

She turned and stormed out the door.


	29. Chapter 29

:Just wanted to apologize for the typos and punctuation errors. A guest just brought it to my attention, and I thank you for that. Again I just wanted to apologize and I will try and make sure not to make the punctuation/quotation mistake again. Thank you for continuing to read the story.

 **Chapter29**

Snow had left a couple of hours ago and Regina's stomach had seemed to calm down a little with the aid of the crackers Mary Margret had brought her. She hadn't left the stool at the island since the other woman had left.

The brunette touched her puffy eyes and sighed. What was she going to tell Emma? The other woman wouldn't want her now. Regina forced away the feeling of wanting to cry again.

Her phone began ringing next to her, clearing her throat, she answered, "Mayor Mills."

"Regina, you really need to get down to The Mirror.", Ruby said panicky.

"Ruby? Why? What's wrong?", Regina asked as she stood gathering her things to leave.

"Let's just say that Emma read an article in the paper a few minutes ago, and I think she may be on her way to kill Sidney", Ruby explained.

Regina had grabbed her key from the change dish in the entry way and made her way out the door, "What did the article say?"

"He accused you of putting the entire town under some sort of curse and said that you put Emma under a spell", Ruby said.

Regina was climbing into her Mercedes, "What else did he say, because that is not enough to piss her off that bad?"

Ruby sounded hesitant, but then said, "He said an injustice had taken place, because you deserved what you got and that Robin and Hook did not."

The mayor cranked the car and put it into reverse, "Shit."

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Emma walked up to the glass door and paused as she read the vinyl letters, 'The Mirror. Sidney Glass.'

She took a deep breath and pulled the door open. A bell jingled over the hinge, which caused Sidney to appear from a room in the back. A smile was on his mouth until he saw Emma's expression.

"What the hell is your problem!", she yelled.

His eyes were wide, but he tried to maintain a calm tone, "I'm not sure what you mean, Sheriff."

The blonde scowled, "Stop playing games Sidney. This has to stop, you need to let the past go and move on."

The darker skinned man narrowed his eye brows, "Let it go? Do you know how long that bitch strung me along? She made me think I actually stood a chance, and I was head over heels for her. She is a manipulative bitch."

Emma stepped closer, "Careful with what you say next, Sidney. She is not that same person, she has changed"

He laughed, "You do realize, that she was using me not that long ago, and just like every other man in her life, she threw me away."

"Well I'd say you came out pretty lucky, because most of the men that she had come across are dead.", she said crossing her arms over her chest.

"See, she has gotten to you too. She will use you the same way, and she will never give you what you want.", He had a slight crazed look in his eyes.

Emma tilted her head in curiosity, "What is it that you wanted, Sidney; better yet, what is it that you think I want from the queen?"

He smiled, "What every man in the Enchanted Forest has fantasied about, but was too afraid of her to admit", He ran his hand through his hair, "Has she let you taste her forbidden fruit, Savior.", his expression was dark now.

The anger took over the blonde and she grabbed the small framed man by his lapels and threw him towards the front door releasing him as she did.

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Regina climbed out of the car and after shutting the door, she made her way up the side walk towards The Mirror's door. The door flew open and Sidney fell onto the pavement on his back, and then slid about a foot.

Emma appeared through the door, but never noticed Regina standing there, "You are a disgusting little man Sidney Glass."

The Genie propped himself up on his elbows and the same as Emma, had not noticed the mayor's presents, "I'll take it you have done more than tasted the queen's fruit", he laughed.

Emma growled and then jumped onto the man and punched him in the face. It wasn't enough she thought so she hit him again, as she drew back for the third punch someone grabbed her arm and she looked up.

"Emma, stop this.", Regina said looking hard at the other woman's face.

The sheriff seemed confused for a moment, but then seemed to snap back to reality. She looked down at the now bloody Sidney, and then at her hands. Quickly she stood up and looked around realizing a group of by standers had gathered to watch the commotion.

"Give it some time and you'll agree that she deserved what she got.", the genie said as he spit blood onto the sidewalk.

Emma lunged forward again, this time she kicked him in the face, Regina grabbed the younger woman's arm, "Emma, look at me."

It take her a minute, but when the green eyes met the brown ones, the mayor could see she was on the verge of tears, "Come on let's go check on Henry", She leaned forward to make sure the blonde was looking at her, "Okay?"

Emma nodded, but didn't say anything. The brunette led her to the Mercedes and they got in.

Sitting in the driver's seat, Regina reached over and took Emma chin in her hand gently, "You have to stop doing that. You can't save me from everything."

"No I can't, but I will make sure they know what will get their asses kicked if they continue to say it", Emma was still angry, but her eyes were a bit softer now.

"Now I know where our son gets his temper", the mayor smiled, "Are you okay?"

The blonde nodded and blew out a breath of air, "I'm sorry. Why can't we just be left alone?"

Regina laughed, "You are the savior and I am the arch nemesis of your mother, what do you really think the chances are that people will leave us alone?"

That made the sheriff smile and she wiped her eyes. Regina pulled her closer and pressed her lips to the other woman's. After a moment she pulled back, "Thank you."

Emma looked puzzled, "What for?"

She smiled as she started the car, "For having my back."

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Emma and Regina arrived at the pawn shop. Regina looked like she felt a little bit better, but she was still a little pale which caused the blonde to continue to worry. She couldn't take anymore, she knew that had the queen not shown up when she had, she could have hurt Sidney severely or even have killed him.

Before they entered the store, Emma stopped the brunette, "I may be arrested."

Regina looked up at her, "You think? You did go a little crazy on a man, who may be scum, but who hasn't done anything but run his mouth."

Emma dropped her head; she was suddenly disappointed with herself. She must be going insane; at least that is what she was trying to convince herself. She could see the look on her father's face now and how he would shake his head at her.

They went into the pawn shop, where Gold stood behind the counter, "Well, well if it isn't the two love birds."

Emma figured Regina would make some snide remark to the man over his comment, but she acted as though she hadn't noticed.

"How is Henry?", the mayor asked.

Gold seemed to realize that the queen wasn't going to give him a feisty remark, so he answered truthfully, "He seems all right for the most part, but he is probably hungry, I'm not sure if the black magic will allow him to eat though."

Regina ran her finger over her forehead, "All we can do is try", she glanced up at Emma, "Maybe you could call Ruby and see if she could bring him some food."

Emma nodded and pulled out her phone. As she dialed the diner, she watched the brunette disappear behind the curtain, "Granny's", Ruby answered.

"Hey Ruby, its Emma, do you think I can get you to deliver some food over here to Gold's?", Emma asked.

"Sure. What would you like?", the waitress asked.

"Henry's usual", she said.

Ruby didn't ask any questions she just replied, "Coming right up."

Emma slid her phone back into her pocket, just as David walked in. She lowered her head. He was going to arrest her, she just knew it.

The blonde walked over to her father, "I know and I'm ready."

David looked at his daughter and raised his eyebrow, "What are you talking about?"

"I ready for you to arrest me.", she said.

Again he looked at her confused, "Why would I arrest you?"

Emma was surprised, "Because I assaulted Sidney Glass."

He scratched his head, "He didn't press charges and all of the witnesses said he started it, so no one is getting arrested."

Emma stood there dumbfounded. Why would the town's people lie for her like that? She did feel that Sidney deserved what he got for saying all of that stuff about Regina. Maybe the community thought the same way.

Rumble walked over to the door and whispered to something to David as he exited.

David smiled at his daughter, "We will be back, I have to take Gold over to look at Hook ship."

Snow came carrying the bag from Granny's, "Hey Ruby said this was for Henry."

"Where is she?", Emma asked.

Mary Margret held out the bag, "She went to the station for a while, your dad asked her to go."

Emma took the bag and nodded. She headed for the curtain and Snow trailed behind.

Regina was sitting in the chair across from Henry as he glared at her from the couch.

Emma walked over to her and placed the bag down on the table, "His food is here."

The blonde watched as Regina and Snow's eye met, and then they looked away. It looked like they had a secret and didn't want the world to know, but Emma figured it was something that was just between the two women and she shook it off.

The mayor looked at the sheriff and then to Mary Margret, "I have to remove the silencing spell in order for him to eat."

Both women nodded their understandings and Regina waved her wrist to remove the spell. For the first couple of seconds, the boy said nothing. His adopted mother pulled the burger from the bag and held it towards the teen. His eyes were still dark, but he opened his mouth and took a bite.

Emma let out a sigh. She was worried that he wouldn't eat at all, because in the movies, the demon never did anything to help the body they were possessing, but then Emma had to keep telling herself that he wasn't possessed, but poisoned.

She watched her son allow his other mother to feed him, without saying a word. He was eating the fries and even drinking from a can of soda that Snow had brought. Even though Regina was still very cautious with their son, Emma could see she was relieved he was eating.

The silence was short lived after the teen swallowed his last bite, "I see our savior has gotten over her mad spell."

The blonde didn't say anything, but Regina did catch the look that flashed in her lover's eyes. The brunette grabbed up the trash from their son's lunch and started towards the trash bin as Henry said, "Keeping secrets from the Savior isn't very nice ladies."

Emma looked at Regina and could see the confusion that crossed her face, and the brunette asked, "What are you talking about?"

He chuckled as he stared at his birth mother, "I mean the test that you failed, or passed, I'm not quite sure how you would look at that."

Regina's eyes widened as she looked at Snow. Snow seemed to be equally surprised, but before anyone had time to respond, the older woman waved her wrist casting the silencing spell on her son once again.

The blonde looked at the other two women, "What is he talking about? What test?"

Mary Margret looked at her ex-step mother expectantly, and Regina started to shake.

Emma walked up to her and took her hands, "What's wrong?"

Snow walked over and started ushering the other women out of the back room. Once they were in the store room, the short haired brunette rubbed the older woman's back lightly, "I'm going to go for a bit", she gestured between Emma and Regina, and you two need to talk."

Panic ran across the mayor's face and she stepped forward to stop the other brunette, "I can't do this."

Snow smiled sweetly, "Yes you can, and she loves you."

With that, they watched Mary Margret leave. Emma could see the pain that the queen seemed to be in and the tears that were now welling up in her eyes. The sheriff waited patiently as the older woman clasped her hands together and paced the floor.

"You know you can tell me anything, right", Emma said with a nervousness building inside herself.

"You will not want me after I tell you this", the words came out before she was ready, so the brunette closed her eyes letting the tears fall.

Emma narrowed her eye brows, "I told you that I'm not going anywhere. Please trust me, and tell me what's going on."

Regina turned her back to the other woman and walked over to the counter, "I'm pregnant", she said as she let out a sob.

Emma was a little dumbstruck, so she didn't move at first. What the fuck? Could things get anymore messed up? Regina's sobs snapped the blonde back and she walked over to the brunette and spun her around. She then wrapped the other woman in her arms and whispered softly, "It will be okay. I'm here."

Regina clung to the other woman as if she were her life line and if she let go she feared she may drown. The sheriff gently petted the woman's hair and kissed the top of her head, "I love you."

After the tears seemed to die down and the sobbing had stopped, the brunette pulled back some, "You still want to be with me?"

Emma cocked her head to the side, "Why wouldn't I? Regina, none of this is your fault, and I am in love with you."

Regina tried to smile but she had to swallow down more tears, "I am not even supposed to be able to get pregnant."

Emma remembered the story of how the other woman had drank some potion so that she couldn't bear any children because of her mother. Maybe because the queen's magic had been taken when she was attacked, maybe it affected everything magical that involved her.

Emma rubbed her neck, "Maybe we should talk to Rumple about it."

Regina shook her head, "I cannot discuss this with that imp, besides he won't help me for free."

Emma raised the older woman's face up to meet her eyes, "We can ask."

The mayor pulled her face from the other woman's grip, "There is more we need to talk about."

Emma asked, "What's that?"

Regina looked at the blondes face and then she focused on a spot on the floor, "I want to keep it."

Emma clenched her jaw, "I figured you would", she walked towards the window and looked out, "It's going to be hard, you know?"

The mayor looked at the other woman's back, "I know that. I have spent two of your life times never being able to have children. I can't get an abortion, which is not even an option for me. I could give them up for adoption, but."

Emma spun around, "No, I can't see another kid go through what I did, so you're right, we keep it."

The blonde could see the shock come across her lover's features. The brunette walked over to the other woman and grabbed her hands, "You will stay with me even if I keep it?"

Emma smiled and cupped the queen's cheek in her hand, "Of course I will", she leaned in and pushed her lips to the other woman's.


	30. Chapter 30

**Chapter30**

Regina had left saying she needed to go and see someone, as the blonde sat waiting for Rumple to return to the shop. Who did she need to see? Emma didn't want to seem controlling so she just kissed the other woman bye and watched her leave.

Snow came through the door looking as though she was testing the water temperature before she jumped in. She didn't see the mayor and was suddenly afraid that Emma didn't react the way she thought she would, "Where is Regina?"

The sheriff glanced up without an expression, "She had something she needed to go and do, so I thought I would stay with Henry until Rumple gets back. I have something to ask him anyways."

Snow's eyes widened, "He can't use magic to get rid of the baby."

Emma glanced at her mother with a puzzled look, "What? I don't want him to get rid of it, or him or her or whatever."

"Then why do you want to talk to Rumple?" Mary Margret asked.

The sheriff's first instinct was to tell her mother that it was none of her business, but she knew the woman was only trying to help, "Regina said she had drank a potion to in order to not have children, but yet here she is pregnant. Regina is afraid to ask so I thought I would."

The short haired brunette smiled and nodded, "I think that is a good idea."

Emma's phone went off and she answered, "Sheriff Swan."

"Emma, we have a slight problem", Ruby said in a hurry.

Emma looked at her mother and then down at the floor, "What kind of problem Ruby?"

"Well, we have a two more 'possessed' people here at the station", She said.

"What?" Emma asked loudly.

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Regina pulled up outside Granny's. Tinker Bell had been staying there because she had not been fully accepted back with the fairies.

She killed the car and got out. The brunette didn't know what she expected to happen, but she knew she had to talk to her, and at least find out why she did this.

She walked into the diner and walked straight towards the back until she came to the stairs leading up to the second floor. The mayor went up the stairs and knocked on the second door.

The door opened and Tinker Bell face pulled into a big smile when she saw Regina, "Hey Regina, come on in."

Regina was a taken aback by the smaller woman's happy demeanor. She shook her head slightly and walked passed short blonde. Once she was inside, she glanced around the modest décor.

Tinker Bell was still smiling, "This is a pleasant surprise."

The mayor turned and faced the other woman, "This isn't a social call."

"Oh", the blonde's smile faded slightly, "In that case, what can I help you with?"

Regina wasn't in the mood to play any games so she got straight to the point, "I know you are still angry with me for the fairies taking your wings, but why would you do something like this to get back at me?"

Tinker Bell was perplexed, "What are you talking about?"

"I don't have time for this, just tell me", Regina snapped.

"Tell you what? I have no idea what you are going on about. I haven't done anything to you, Regina", the blonde stood with her hands on her hips.

The brunette rubbed her forehead with one hand and placed the other on her stomach to calm the queasy feeling, "You are the only fairy I know that could have gotten a hold of Pan's essence and fairy dust."

The confused look remained on the blonde's face, "I still have no idea what you are talking about, but I have no way to get my hands on fairy dust, I'm not a fairy anymore remember? I have been in this room for the last week watching this magic box", she pointed towards the television.

Regina stared at the smaller woman. She wasn't sure what to believe or what to trust.

"Besides, Blue has been talking about giving me another change since my finding your true love was partly right", the blonde smiled.

Regina looked at her, "Partly right?"

Tinker Bell laughed, "Because I did have the tattoo right, just not the person."

Regina was a little speechless, she had thought she had caught the guilty person, but she was turning out to be wrong. She closed her eyes and tried to suppress the nauseous feeling that was coming back.

Her phone went off causing both women to jump, "Yeah?"

"I need you to meet me at the station. We are going to need you to cast more silencing spells", Emma said before hanging up.

Regina moved the phone from her ear staring at the device.

"Is everything okay, Regina?" The blonde asked.

"I'm not sure", the mayor said with worry in her voice.

Tinker Bell grabbed her jacket off of the foot of the bed and slipped it on, "I'm going with you so I can see what is going on around here, because apparently I missed a lot."

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Snow had stayed with Henry, and Ashley took Neal home with her for the evening. David and Rumple had gone to check on something aboard the Jolly Roger, but they did not answer their phone when she had tried to call.

Emma leaned up against her desk and stared into the cells. Leroy sat in one and Will Scarlet in the other. She could see a small amount of blood seeping through his shirt from his still fresh wound he got from the arrow. There was no way she could get close to him to do anything about it.

"So what happened, exactly?" Emma asked the waitress.

"Well these two had been drinking at the Rabbit Hole. He said it looked like they had gotten drunk and then started yelling insults at people in the bar. When the bartender asked them to quiet down, they started getting violent and tearing the place a part", Ruby said.

"It's so sweet that the Evil Queen could come down for a visit, conjugal I hope", Grumpy said wiggling his eyebrows.

Emma turned around to see that her lover had arrived and that Tinker Bell was with her, but before she could say anything Will popped off, "Well if it isn't the whore that got my best friend killed."

Tinker Bell gasped putting her hands over her mouth, shocked that someone had said something like that. Regina quickly flicked her wrist casting the silencing spell over both men, and let out a small breath.

Regina slowly walked over to the cell to examine the two men closer. After a few moments, she said, "They seem to be affected like Hook and Robin were, but they don't have magic like Henry."

Tinker Bell looked around at everyone, "What in the hell did I miss?"

Emma sighed, "Someone has poisoned a few people and it is causing them to go a bit evil."

The smaller blonde still looked confused, but seemed to accept the explanation for the time being.

The sheriff's phone went off and she answered, "Sheriff."

"Hey Em, I saw I had a missed call from you, what's up?" David asked.

"Where the hell have you two been and why didn't you answer?" Emma asked.

David hesitated for a second, "We didn't have service in the ship Em. What's going on?"

"There has been two more poisoning. Leroy and Will are here at the station." the blonde said.

"We are head your way", he said then hung up.

Ruby stood up from her position from behind the other desk, "I think I am going to go back to the bar and see what else I can find out."

Regina turned to her, "I think I assist you, if that's all right?"

Ruby nodded as she grabbed her coat from the back of her chair. Regina leaned over and kissed Emma quickly on the lips. Tinker Bell said nothing; she just followed the waitress and the mayor out the door.

Emma stayed in her positon leaning against her desk. They had to get to the bottom of this as fast as possible. This was going to cause chaos to run rapid in this town if they didn't figure it out.

She could hear David's boots walking quickly towards her from the entrance. Once he rounded the corner he spoke, "What is going on around here?"

She looked up at him as he looked at the two men who were in their cells, "I don't know. Regina, Ruby and Tink went to go investigate the bar a little closers to see what they could find."

She stood up crossing her arms over her chest, "Where's Gold?"

David laughed a little, "He had to go check in with his wife first. She had called him like ten times."

Emma smiled at his words, but then grew quiet. She looked over at her father, "Did you know, about Regina I mean?"

He looked over at her questionably, "Know what?"

"She is pregnant", the blonde said in little more than a whisper.

David moved closer to his daughter, "Oh God Emma, I'm so sorry."

Emma didn't say anything at first she just gave a slight smile. She needed to talk to someone about this and he was the best candidate at this time, "It is what it is, you know?"

David leaned against the desk in the same manner his daughter had before and he crossed his arms over his chest, "What is she going to do?"

"Nothing; we are going to have it." Emma said looking down at the floor.

He smiled gently at the blonde before him, "So you are willing to raise a baby that was the product of your lover's rape?"

"That child is not Robin Hoods.", Rumples voice said from behind them.

Emma looked up, "What?"

David stood and turned towards the smaller man, "then whose is it?"

Gold shrugged his shoulders, "I don't know, but I do know for a fact that it is not Robin's."

Emma narrowed her eyes, "How do you know."

The Dark One walked around the desk and looked into the jail cells, "Well, the only reason Robin and Marian have little Roland is because of me, dearie."

David now narrowed his eye brows, "What does that mean?"

"Robin was injured by a horse when he was a child. The horse stepped right on his family jewels ruining any and all changes he had of fathering any children. He came to me wanting a baby so I helped him get one, but Roland is not biologically Robin's." Gold explained.

Emma cocked her head, "Then whose is he?"

Gold turned and looked at her, "A man that fit Robin's description to the best of my ability. Even with magic, there are certain things dark magic cannot do, dearie; restoring reproductive organs is one that can't be fixed."

Emma rubbed her face with her hands, "So the baby did not come from Robin. Could it have come from another man? I mean if she had made herself barren wouldn't that be the same as Robin being injured?"

Rumple looked closer at Emma, "No other man would be able to impregnate Regina, because you are correct, her reproductive organs were in the same shape as Hood's."

Emma stilled looked confused as she walked over to the window, "Then whose baby is it?"

"There is only one person I know who could tell you that, dearie", the man said.

The sheriff and her father looked at the man expectantly and he said, "Granny."

The blonde looked at her father who looked at her in return and then back to Gold, "Granny doesn't have magic, does she?"

"Not magic like you, Regina or I, but she has magic of her own. She is a werewolf and they have ways to find things like this out", he smiled.

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Regina had walked away from the wolf as she questioned the bartender. She could see the bar was still a disaster, with broken glass everywhere, tables were turned over and chairs broken apart and thrown across the floor. The whole place reeked of alcohol, and there was a particular and familiar sweet smell.

"They were drinking together over there at that table", the man pointed to the one table on the side of the bar Regina was on that was still up right, "They had been drinking beer, but Will decided to order a bottle of rum," the bartender said.

The brunette walked over to the table and to her surprise a rum bottle still stood on the table. She picked it up and then sniffed it. It was the same smell as the flask. The queen quickly walked over to the bar, "Where did you get this bottle?"

He looked at her with a raised eyebrow, "It's a shipment I got today. The rest of the case is in the back."

Regina took off towards the back, Tink and Ruby on her heels. When she reached the crate, she bent down and picked up one of the full bottles, "Open this carefully she told the wolf."

Ruby complied, pulling the cork out and then handing it back to the mayor.

She sniff the bottle and then pulled it away from her face, "Grab the whole case, it's all contaminated."

"You can't do that, I just got that today", the man said from behind them.

Ruby bent down and picked up the crate, then smiled at the man, "We can do whatever we want when it comes to protecting the people of this town. If you don't like it, maybe you should take it up with the mayor."

Regina couldn't help the smile that crossed her own lips as she left the bar.

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Emma was staring out the window in deep thought when she heard the woman coming through the door. As the woman came into view, the blonde turned from her place to look at them.

Emma made eye contact with the brunette and smiled sweetly, causing the mayor to blush. She walked over to her and kissed her temple.

Ruby placed the crate on the desk, "Regina says this tainted."

Emma looked at the crate, "Is it the same kind of alcohol that Hook and Robin were drinking."

Regina nodded, "Yes, we have to find out what we can about this stuff, before someone else get a hold of it."

Tinker Bell had walked towards the back of the station to find the bathroom and Ruby had walked outside to call David about their find.

Emma whispered, "The baby's not Robin's."

Regina shot the sheriff a surprised look, "What do you mean?"

"I talked to Gold. He said that even had you not been barren, Robin had no ability to produce kids", Emma smiled.

Regina let out a happy sob this time and wrapped her arms around the blonde, "You know what this means? The baby is yours."

Emma pulled back slightly, "Mine? Umm how could it be mine, I'm not exactly equipped for that."

Regina looked at the other woman, "I haven't been with anyone else Emma."

The sheriff bit her lip, "Gold said Granny would be able to tell us for sure who the father is."

Regina could hear the skepticism in the blonde's voice, but she knew this was something that would be difficult to understand as well as believe, "Fine, we will go and see Granny when she is available."

Tinker Bell slowly walked out from around the corner, "You are pregnant?"

The couple hadn't noticed Ruby staring at them in a frozen state. Regina rolled her eyes, she didn't want the town to know about this, but she did feel so much better learning the baby wasn't Robin's.

"Yes I am pregnant", Regina blurted out.

"You got pregnant by Robin?" Tinker bell asked. Regina only told the smaller woman the part about Henry being poisoned; she did not mention the rape.

"No she is not", Rumples voice came from the entry way.

Everyone tuned to look at the man. David and Snow walked around the man as they entered the room. David smiled at his daughter and then Regina.

"Here are the bottles that Regina found." Ruby said pushing the crate across the desk.

Rumple grabbed the open bottle and sniffed it just as Regina had. He put the bottle back down and pulled a small blood red book from the inside pocket of his jacket, "Since we have a larger amount of the contaminated liquid, we can do a spell to find where it came from."

"That's great, let's get to it", Emma said with a smile.

The Dark One put his hand up, "Not so fast. Whoever partakes, will be reliving all of the events this liquid has lived."

Ruby crossed her arms, "What does that mean?"

The smaller man sighed, "It means, Miss. Lucas, that you will be witnessing Regina's attack as well as the death of all the men that were killed. So for you, you will have to relive what you did in the woods."

Ruby sobered, "Sorry guys, I can't stay for that." She looked over at Regina, "I'm not sorry for what I did, but I can't sit through it again."

Regina smiled, "It's all right Ruby."

"I'll go and check in on Henry." The waitress said leaving the station.

"If everyone else is staying, then we need more chairs", Gold said.

Emma and David went in search of more from the back of the station, as Snow walked up to Regina, "I take it everything went okay."

"Better than I thought it would and now finding out that Robin is not the father is good news." the older woman said.

David and Emma appeared carrying some fold up chairs. They sat them up in a circle with all of the chairs facing one another, as for Rumple's instruction. He told everyone to take a seat, and he too sat down in one of the chairs.

He had David put the crate of rum in the center of their circle, "Everyone will need to hold hands. No matter what you see or feel, you cannot break contact, or the spell will end."

"Is this a spell or a séance?" Emma asked with a raised brow.

Rumple ignored her, "I'm only asking this one more time, if you do not think you can stomach this, then you need to leave the circle. Once we start there is no stopping."

Everyone looked at one another then back to Gold. Emma was a little worried that Snow wouldn't be able to handle the journey, but then again there was a knot in the blonde's stomach and she was worried that she wouldn't be able to handle this. She glanced to Regina who sat next to her, her heart sank at the thought of her having to relive what happened to her, "Are you sure you want to sit in?"

Regina glared, "I need to find a way to help my son."

Emma grabbed the woman's hand, "I know that, but you shouldn't have to re-live this."

The brunette looked at her lover, "Emma, I re-live this all the time."

Emma heart broke even more at hearing the words, "Please don't sit through this. I will tell you every detail that has to do with Henry, but please."

Regina stared at the other woman for a moment. They hadn't noticed the rest of the group staring at them, "Fine, but I'm not leaving."

Emma squeezed the brunettes hand and watched her leave the circle, only to lean up against the window facing Emma.

David pulled the mayor's chair out of the circle and then sat back down.

Rumple looked up at the mayor, who rolled her eyes, and then he glanced around the circle, "Okay, everyone grab hands, and close your eyes."

As soon as Emma closed her eyes she felt as though she was floating through the air, and then it was as though she was watching a camera that had been stuck into a bottle. Will and Leroy were drinking beer and laughing about something, they appeared to already be drunk, when the bartender placed the bottle down on the table.

After only a few drinks, the men seemed to grow agitated. Leroy started yelling at another patron. The spell did not allow them to hear very well, it was somewhat muffled. Suddenly Will picks up a chair and throws it at the man that Leroy had gotten into it with. The two drunks continued to yell and throw things as the other patrons of the bar ran out the front door.

Suddenly the image went black, and she felt like she was floating again.

Henry was sitting on his bed when Emma came in; again the words were not clear, although the blonde remembered what she had said to her son. She saw herself get up and leave, and then the teen jumped out the window. The sheriff could hear mother gasp from beside her, but the images continued.

Henry was floating just above the ground. For some reason the image went dark again, but then came back into focus as Henry appeared to be melting a door knob. Emma knew it was Gold's, but it is different when you see it happening.

Then Henry had magically grabbed Belle by the throat. The image went dark again just as he released her. Then it came back as Henry was talking from the couch, but went dark again. The image only reappeared for the short time that Regina had fed him, but shortly after she had silenced him again.

The images went dark again. Emma's heart was racing when the images came back into view. Robin had busted into the ship hold where Henry was tied to a chair. He hit the teen across the face knocking him to the floor, only to pick him up and do it again. He left the room to talk with hook, then grabbed up the boy and left the ship. The image allowed them to see the entire walk into the forest.

Emma can see Henry hit the man in the nose with his head and take off running. She was glad now that she had convinced Regina to sit this out. She did not need to see this. Robin had caught the boy, and then started kicking him relentlessly. Emma could feel Tinker Bell to her left and her mother to her right; they both tighten their grip on the savior's hands. Emma watched the scene play out. She could see how brave their son really was, not to mention he was pretty tough.

The part where Robin had Henry by knife point had appeared. The teen had kicked the man in the ribs and was able to escape.

She watched as the queen had the better of the man, but then he was able to grab her. Then she saw herself shoot Robin, followed by the very impressive shot made by Marian, which made both women on either side of Emma jump.

The image went dark again, but then lit up with Hook sitting in the chair that Henry had in the ship. Emma saw herself come through the door followed by her father. Emma knocked the rum bottle out of the pirate's hand, and the conversation was getting heated. Then at one point the blonde hit him in the head with butt of the gun. When it came to the part where Emma had shoved the gun into Hooks, it made her mother gasp again.

David seemed to be trying to talk her down, and after a few minutes he won, because she handed her father the weapon, but then shot the pirate in the head himself. Snow's grip was getting tighter and Emma felt as though she was going to lose the feeling in her fingers.

Again the image went dark and then came back into view with Robin standing at Regina's door. Emma thought it was a little weird that it didn't show the pirate or Robin while they were in the jail and it had skipped the town hall trial.

Regina opened the door and smiled when the man handed her the flowers. The blonde couldn't help but feel a little jolt of jealousy at the scene. He followed the brunette into the house. The next thing the blonde knew was that he was trying to kiss Regina and she was definitely not interested. He slapped the woman, and then he attempted to get her pants down.

Emma blood pressure was rising quickly, and all she could see was the fear and hurt in her lovers eyes. She saw herself tackle the man, and then him hitting her. She could remember what it felt like when she saw the man's hands around her throat. Regina then jumped onto his back, which did get him to release the blonde, but she got herself launched across the kitchen, then she witnessed him run out the door.

The vision went dark, but then lit back up with Robin following the mayor into the town hall. Emma sifted uncomfortably in her seat.

Regina was on her phone as the thief walked up behind her. It was so real, Emma wanted to shout out for the mayor to look out, but instead she watched as Robin hit the mayor in the side of the head with what appeared to be a flashlight. She fought hard to get away from her attacker. He was trying hard to get her to the couch, but it didn't work in his favor, nor did his attempts to get her to the table.

Emma's heart was beating wildly in her chest as her anger grew rapidly. He then spun the brunette and punched her in the face, and as she tried to get up, he continued to hit her until she was unsteady and almost unconscious. He then threw her over her desk ripping her skirt and underwear always, and having his way with her. The vision allowed her to see Regina's face and the tears that were falling.

She was ready to stand up and kill the archer all over again. She was so angry at the pain and humiliation he had cause the love of her life and she wanted to see him suffer. Instead she fought the urge and kept her eyes shut.

The images went dark again, but this time when they came back they flashed in the same manner that a strobe light would. One scene was of Robin hitting Marian. The next he had forced himself on her. The scenes that flashed all seemed to be similar but they were at different times. Robin had forced himself on his wife even back in the enchanted forest.

The images stopped and for a second, Emma had thought they were done, but then they were back. This time it looked as though they were in a warehouse. She could see large wooden barrels with the words rum written. The small box that was exactly like Pandora's Box was sitting on a ledge above a couple of crates of rum that had not been corked.

A boy came into view as he walked closer to the barrels, suddenly something started him and he jumped behind a barrel. Emma could see his face and noticed him as a lost boy.

Leroy and Astrid walked into view, but on the other side of the ledge. They were laughing and suddenly started to make out. Astrid placed a bag she was holding up on the ledge accidentally knocking the box onto the crate.

As the make out session got serious and Emma was more than sure the two were actually doing it by the way Astrid's back was slamming into the ledge, which Emma was thankful was there. Leroy was not a person she wanted to see naked or in the middle of an intimate act with someone. As the fairies back hit the ledge again her bag fell off onto the crate, causing some fairy dust to fall out. She then saw the lost boy quietly collect the box and leave. The vision went black and did not return.

When Emma opened her eyes, Tinker Bell and her mother were crying. Gold and her father seemed to be just as pissed as she was. She slowly let her eyes fall on Regina who was now facing away from her with her arms around her waist staring out the window.

Snow jumped up and ran over to Regina, followed by Tink, "I am so sorry Regina."

Regina looked as though she wanted to cry. Emma could tell that was not something she would ever want anyone else to see, but for the sake of their son she would do anything.

David stood up and took a deep breath, and then he rubbed the back of his neck, "Fuck."

It was a simple word, and he didn't scream it, it just came out.

Emma watched her father, and after a minute she stood and walked over to him, "Are you okay?"

He ran his hand down his face, "I'm trying to be."

Rumple had remained seating with his eyes closed. Emma wasn't sure if he was just thinking or if he was still doing a spell. She walked up to him, "So They weren't bad, just poisoned?"

He opened his eyes and looked at her, "Hook was more innocent than Robin, but no, it wasn't just because of the poison. Hook has always been selfish and a coward. As for Robin, it would appear he has been a rapist for far longer than the poison has been around. The poison just made him act out more in the open."

Regina had overheard and walked across the room to them, "What do you mean he has always been a rapist?"

Everyone looked at one another, but Emma spoke, "We saw flashes of him raping and beating Marian, even back in the Enchanted Forest. It seems it had gone on for years."

Tears well up in the queen's eyes and she covered her mouth to keep the sob she had from escaping, "I need to go to her."

Emma looked at the older woman, "You can, but we have to figure this out first."

Regina nodded, but said nothing.

Tinker Bell spoke up, "We did find out where the poisoning occurred."

Regina looked at the smaller woman and waited. Snow piped up, "Yeah, it appears that a lost boy had stolen Pan's box and happened to drop it onto rum bottles in a warehouse."

"That doesn't explain the fairy dust." Regina said looking at Snow.

Tinker Bell laughed, "That happened when Grumpy and Nova were getting it on and knocked her bag of fairy dust onto the bottles."

Regina looked astonished, "Are you joking? This all happened because a dwarf and fairy wanted to have sex?"

Gold stood from his place, "Sort of. Hook and Hood was already scum before all of this, the poison just intensified it."

Emma pinched the bridge of her nose, "It doesn't explain Henry. The other two men didn't look any different when they were under the influence, but Henry's eyes are black and he has hideous veins going up his neck. He is not evil so why is he so evil now?"

Regina looked over at Rumple waiting for the answer to Emma question.

He looked at both women, "Henry is more susceptible to the magic because of the connection that Peter Pan and him had when they swapped bodies."


	31. Chapter 31

**Chapter31**

Regina stood back and watched everyone talk about what they had seen in the visions. Once the group was engulfed in their own conversation, Emma moved towards her.

The mayor stood awkwardly and the blonde grabbed her arm and pulled her closer. She didn't want to look into the green eyes for fear of what she would see, so she avoided eye contact. Emma didn't say anything; she just pulled the woman close and held her. Regina buried her face into the blonde's neck and let her tears fall silently. The sheriff placed soft kisses to the top of her head, but remained silent.

Regina's phone began ringing, and for a brief second she debated on rather or not she wanted to answer it, but then lifted her head and wiped her eyes as she answered, "Mayor Mills?"

"It's Gordon. I got the results from the test, but I am not sure what we are looking for", Gordon said.

"Meet us at Gold's shop", Regina said before she hung up.

Emma still held her, and the brunette looked up, "Gordon got the results back."

The sheriff nodded and looked over to the group who was still talking, "We need to meet Gordon at your shop Mr. Gold."

Everyone stopped talking and looked at her. Rumple nodded, "Alright. Someone needs to call Blue for an update."

Snow stepped up, "I'll call her, and meet you all over there."

"I'll stay here, with our guests", David said as everyone gathered their things to leave.

David gently tugged on Regina's arm as she passed causing her to stop, "Can I talk to you for a second?"

Regina looked at Emma, "I'll be right there."

Emma smiled and walked out, leaving the queen and the prince alone.

David cleared his throat nervously, "I'm sorry that happened to you, and I just want you to know that even if we still hated each other, I would never believe that you deserved that, and know that had Emma and Marian not killed him, I would have."

Regina looked into the man's eyes and could see how genuine he was. A tear slipped from his eye and she wiped it away for him, "David, I have always known you were a good man, even though I still think you are an idiot most of the time, but I do appreciate everything you have done and for being there for me."

David smiled but didn't say anything else. She knew that if he attempted more, he would probably break down right there and as much as she would not blame him, she wouldn't know how to handle it if he did.

So instead she reached up and hugged him, then kissed his cheek as she walked out. She would have never thought it possible to actually start feeling anything different than annoyance when it came to her lover's parents, but she actually could say she cared very deeply for them now.

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Emma took her chosen position on top of the counter in the pawn shop. Regina was leaning with her back against the blonde from between her legs. Rumple leaned against the opposite counter staring off into space.

Gordon came in first, carrying a vial of blood and a sheet of paper, "Sorry it took so long, I had", he stopped when his eye landed on the mayor and the sheriff's intimate position, but then continued, "To wait until someone could relieve me from the lab."

Regina stood up straight, but stayed where she was, "So what did the test say?" she asked holding out her hand for the paper.

Gordon walked closer and passed it to her, "It actually shows that Henry blood alcohol was way passed the legal limit."

Emma looked down at the paper from over Regina's shoulder, "It says he drunk? That not possible, even when you collected his blood, it had almost been twenty four hours since he came into contact with the stuff, and he didn't even ingest any of it."

"He didn't have to drink it, dearie. The liquor was contaminated with strong magic, so it would have intensified the rum itself, and as I said before, the magic identifies with Henry so it would affect him a lot differently than anyone else", Gold said walking closer.

"I never thought I would say this, but The Dark One is correct it would seem", Blue said from the doorway.

Rumple just smiled, "You should agree with me more often, Dearie, you would find I'm correct most of the time."

Blue just looked at the man and rolled her eyes, and then turned towards Regina, "I know how to cure Henry, but it will take the both of you", she said pointing to Emma.

Emma pushed Regina gently forward and jumped down off the counter, "What do we need to do?"

The fairy's face was sober, "You will both need to blast him with your light magic."

"I'm sorry, I'm not sure I heard you correctly. You want us to blast our son", Regina glared placing her hands on her hips, "That could kill him."

"I understand the risks mayor, but it is the only way. Emma and your white magic, combined with true love is the only thing to defeat the dark magic that courses through his body" she said looking to Gold.

The imp lowered his head and then looked up apologetically towards the brunette, "She is right. I would have told you about this sooner, but I was trying hard to find another way."

Regina clenched her jaw, "You are both out of your minds. I can't take a risk like that."

"Regina, I wouldn't agree with this if I thought there was another way, but there isn't. There something else I haven't told you." Gold said softly.

Regina's head shot up, "What is it?"

Gold looked to the fairy then back to the mayor, "If Henry remains in this state, he will be completely consumed by the magic and then there will be no reversing this."

"Are you fucking kidding me? Now I either have to choose to attempt to kill my son or leave him as this evil being? This is unbelievable! You didn't feel that this was something I should know?" Regina said raising her voice.

Rumple hung his head, taking a deep breath he said, "I was going to tell you, I just wanted to find other options. I didn't do it on purpose."

Regina rolled her eyes and walked out the door.

Emma jogged to catch up with the other woman, "Regina wait." As the blonde got closer, the brunette disappeared in her purple smoke.

"Damn it!" the sheriff said.

"Give her a few minutes."

Emma looked behind her to see Snow standing there. The short haired brunette walked up to her daughter. Emma knew she should be taking time to mend things with both of her parents, but the truth was, the only person Emma wanted right now was Regina. She wanted their son to be okay and to be at home with them, just like a real family.

"Emma, can we talk?" Mary Margret asked.

Emma rubbed her forehead, "I don't know if that is a good idea right now."

"Why do you continue to be so stand-offish with me Emma? We used to be friends." Snow said sadly.

"When I found out that you chose your happy ending over me, or when you decided to have another kid and forget about the kid you threw away, or how you wanted to lecture me on things that are not your business and act as though you are better than me", The words just fell out of her mouth, the blonde couldn't have stopped them even if she tried.

Her mother's mouth fell open, "What? We had no other choice but to put you in that wardrobe, and now you are telling me you are jealous of your brother?"

Emma glared at the short haired brunette, "Do you ever take responsibility for what you do, or is it always someone else's fault?"

Tears were falling one by one from Snow's eyes, "Emma, why are you doing this?"

"You said you wanted to talk, so we are talking. You always act like you want to know what I am thinking, but now you can't handle it." Emma let out a factious laugh as her eyes watered up.

Snow stood there looking at her daughter as her tears rolled down her face, "Is that how you feel when you are around me?"

Emma ran a hand through her hair, "Why is everything roses and sunshine with you, until the finger is pointed at you. You suddenly become the victim, I don't understand."

The older woman used her fingers to wipe away a few tears, and then sucked in a breath, "I'm sorry. I know I am not the best listener when it comes to things about me, just ask your father." She smiled weakly.

Emma looked up at her, "You have spent a life time playing the role of a hero, but you have yet to look at the truth in the mirror."

"We did make the choice to place you in that wardrobe, but we did think it was the best change we could give you. The original plan was that I was going to come with you, but Gepetto was only able to make the wardrobe carry one person. Emma I take responsibility for wanting my child to have the best change I could give her. The only options I had at the time was to either send you away, or chance the Queen's army killing you. As far as baby Neal is concerned, we did have him on purpose, but we also though we would never see you again, but I could never forget you. The only time you were not on my mind was when we were cursed to live as different people." She wiped new tears away as she said, " I want so much to be part of your life and just because I look the same age as you, just remember I have lived twice as long as you, so I tend to give you more of my opinion on what I think you should do. I'm your mother, who missed out on every aspect of your life." The older woman took a breath and paused, then said, "I am so sorry you had a horrible life. I only wanted good things for you, that is all I want now. I love you Emma, I always have, please let me in."

Emma was shedding her own tears, and instead of argue she threw herself into her mothers arms, "I love you too mom."

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Regina found herself in the forest when her smoke cleared. She needed time for the anger in her to subside. She glanced around, but she wasn't sure were she had taken herself.

"Regina?"

The mayor spun around startled by the voice. It was Marian standing with an arm of firewood, "Marian, Hi." Came an awkward response.

The darker toned woman looked sideways at the other woman, "What are you doing out here?"

Regina laughed wiping her eyes, "I'm not sure. I was a little stressed and needed to get away, and so here I am."

The sun had gone down and the wind was whipping through the trees. Regina shivered, and then rubbed her arms.

Marian smiled, "Come back to camp with me and we can warm up by the fire."

The mayor smiled, and followed the other woman through the woods. She continued to be amazed at the people who had become her friends and allies in the short week that has past. She sent this woman to her death once and almost stole her husband from her and now here she was being hospitable and she had even killed her own husband to protect the Evil queen.

After a few minutes they had managed to come up on the camp. Some of the merry men were moving about doing different chores it seemed. One man was stirring a large pot over another fire. Another man was chopping up large logs; everyone appeared to be doing their part.

She followed the archer's widow over to a larger fire and motioned for her to sit, "Are you hungry or would you like something to drink?"

Regina smile and shook her head, "No thank you."

Marian sat next to her as Roland ran up to his mother, "Momma, Uncle John is teaching me how to hunt."

Regina smiled at the boy. She had been fond of him even before she and Robin had gotten together. The small boy turned noticing the mayor, "Regina!" He yelled running and jumping into the woman's lap."

Regina let out a surprised laugh, "Hey Roland. How are you?"

The boy had his small arms around her neck, "Good." He smiled, but then it fell, "I'm sorry my daddy hurt you."

Regina swallowed a lump that had come up in her throat and looked over at Marian. The other woman smiled gently, and then tapped her son on the shoulder, "You need to go and get ready for bed young man, while Regina and I talk."

He nodded his understanding and then hugged the queen, "Goodnight your majesty."

Regina smiled, "I'm not a queen anymore, I'm just Regina."

The little boy pulled his head up and looked the woman in the face, "Yes you are. My momma said that you were the Evil queen once, but that was only because you were hurt so bad and that people like daddy made you that way. She said you have proven that you are a true queen, and that we should all knee to you."

The mayor looked shocked and quickly wiped a tear away before it had a chance to roll down her face.

Marian had stood up and picked her son up out of Regina lab, "That's enough Roland, now it's off to bed." She said before she kissed his head and pushed him in the direction of their tent.

Regina didn't say anything to the other woman about what the boy had just said. She knew that the woman before her was one of the strongest women she had ever met. Not only did she live through life with an abusive rapist, but she also helped to kill him. Now she had to raise her son alone, and seemed to be doing a wonderful job.

The other woman stared into the fire as she sipped something from a mug. Regina crossed her legs, sitting up straighter, "How did you do it?"

Marian glanced over at the other woman seeming to understand what she was asking from the look in her eyes, "You spend most of your time thinking that it is your fault, the other half of the time you trying to convince yourself that things will get better."

"Was he always like this?" The mayor asked quietly.

"Not at first. He was sweet, handsome and charming, made for a queen", she smiled and gestured towards Regina, "But then he started to slowly change. He became aggressive when he didn't get his way, and then he started taking more, it only got worse when he started drinking", the other woman said before taking another drink from her mug.

Regina watched the woman's face, "Why did you stay?"

Marian smiled but looked deep into the flames, "You know, I asked myself that question a hundred times and have yet to come up with a great excuse. I told myself at first that if I were a better wife then things would be better. Then I thought I loved him too much to leave. After I had Roland I knew I couldn't support a baby on my own in the Enchanted Forest."

Regina narrowed her eyes, "Many women held their own in the Enchanted Forest."

Marian looked at her, "You mean women like you. Living under your rule wasn't exactly easy, and what would I have done, come to you for help? You had me killed, remember?"

Regina closed her eyes and fought back tears, "So once again this is my mess up. I'm sorry."

Marian stood then knelt in front of Regina, taking her hand, "No! Listen to me; first of all, we are over the past. Do you want to know a secret," She didn't wait for a response, "I was at a point in my life to where I welcomed death. I knew Robin loved his son, and he would take care of him. I knew I would miss him more than anything, but deep down, I never hated you for giving me what I wanted at the time."

Tears streamed down the queen's face, she couldn't hold them back any more, "Knowing that you wanted to die doesn't make me feel better. I should have been a ruler who cared about her people, but instead I was so consumed with revenge and this selfish drive to find my own happiness, that I ruined so many people's lives."

Marian squeezed her hand, "I haven't been in this land very long, but in the time I have. I see a woman, who has overcame some very difficult obstacles, She has shown proof of how much she can love by the beautiful teenage boy she has. She has helped out every member of her community in one way or another, and has won the heart of the Savior without taking it by force. I see a woman worthy of the crown."

Regina let out a small laugh as a few more tears fell. She couldn't believe Robin had ever hurt this woman. The mayor hoped the other woman might find her happy ending, because she deserved it.

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Over an hour had gone by since Regina left. The blonde was starting to get worried, but her mother told her to give the older woman some time, so she chose not to call her. She was so emotionally drained, and felt she could pass out from exhaustion at any moment.

Just as Emma pulled her phone out of her pocket to brave calling the queen, her voice called from behind the blonde, "I'm sorry I just left."

Emma turned around and smiled, "I think we have apologized more in a week than most people have in their whole lives."

Regina smiled back as she walked closer to the other woman, "It's getting easy to say, I guess."

Emma wrapped her arms around the other woman, "Where did you go?"

"I paid a visit to Marian", she said.

The sheriff pulled back to see the brunette's face, "How did that go?"

Regina pulled out of the blonde's arms, "Surprisingly well." She looked up at Emma pausing and then said, "We have to do it."

Emma looked perplexed, "Do what?"

"The white magic on Henry", the mayor said barely audible.

Emma heart sped up and was now banging in her chest, "What if we, I, do something wrong," she corrected.

Regina let her forehead press against the younger woman's, "I trust you, and so does Henry. We can do this."

Emma closed her eyes to absorb all of the emotions Regina seemed to be passing to her. She took a deep breath and then released it, "Then let's go and get our son back."

Regina took the blondes hand and they walked into the shop. Rumple looked up expectantly, but said nothing. Blue was leaned against the counter, and snow was sitting in a chair behind the counter, she stood as soon as she saw them.

Regina looked at Gold, "Let's get on with this, shall we?"

The side of Rumples mouth curled up in a half smile, "This way ladies." He held the curtain up to the side to let them pass.

They walked into the back room. Henry glared from his seat on the couch as everyone who entered.

"You are going to have to remove the spells you have on him, but before we do, Miss. Blanchard needs to leave the premises for her own safety", Blue said.

Emma and Regina glanced up at the other woman. The short haired brunette smiled at them, "Good luck." The other two women gave her reassuring smiles. She turned and left the room.

Regina flicked her wrist, removing the silencing spell. Emma's eye widened, "Do you think it is a good idea to remove the spells, I mean he has magic?"

Blue flipped to a page in her book and said, "Rumple and I will have to hold him, while the two of you do your part."

Gold lifted his hand, but Emma said quickly, "Wait, what exactly is our part?"

"Remember how we healed Henry in the forest?" Regina continued when her lover nodded yes, "Well, it will be similar, but we will not be touching him. We will create a ball of energy, and then we will throw it at", her voice crack at the thought of injuring her son, "Henry."

"I see the whore and her dyke have returned", Henry sneered.

Emma looked over at the boy, a chill crept up her spine from his word. Other than it being her son's voice, it was Robin's words. She looked at Regina who looked equally shaken at the statement.

"Okay, we are ready" Emma said to Gold.

He waved his hand to remove the spell, and then quickly he and Blue joined their magic to restrain the boy.

Regina and Emma put their hands up only inches from one another. A bright white light glowed in between their fingers, "Think about everything that has happened", Regina coached the blonde, "Think about what you want us to accomplish."

The light was growing bigger and bigger. Emma could feel the magic surging through her hands and it seemed to be moving up her arms.

"Robin would have let each of those pirates have a turn at you", Henry said.

Regina looked at Emma, "Don't think of anger, you have to think of love because that's where the white magic comes from. Think of your feeling for me, Henry, your parents and friends."

The surge had moved passed her arms and was moving down her shoulder to her chest. Her heart beat was banging in her ears.

"Robin really enjoyed banging you on your desk. He told me how much you begged him", Henry smirked.

The blonde saw the mayor swallow, but she continued, "Think of the moment you told me you loved me, and the moment I told you I loved you"

The magic was now surging through the sheriff's legs. She could feel it coursing through her, making her skin feel as though static electricity was all around her causing the hairs on her arms to rise.

"She's lying. She will throw you away when she is done playing. She will toss you as soon as something better comes along or as soon as you don't obey her", the teen hissed.

"Now!" Regina yelled.

The two women pulled back once and then shoved the large ball of light forward, releasing it. The ball hit the boy square in the chest causing him to be thrown back.

Emma couldn't breathe. She didn't know if it had work or even what to look for if it did. Henry lay unconscious on the sofa. No one dared move, they were all afraid that it didn't work, or worse.

Regina was the first to step forward, "Henry?"

Still there was no movement from the teen. The mayor walked slowly over to the lifeless body, "Henry?"

Emma swallowed and stepped forward to get a better look at the boy. What had they done? Suddenly the blonde was questioning everything in her mind. The thought that Gold had tricked them did cross her thoughts, but she could also tell when people were lying, and he had not been.

Regina sat down beside the boy's body and gently picked his upper body up pulling it into her lap, "Henry, honey?"

A tear fell from Emma's eye as she sat down on the other side of the boy. She could she Regina rocking his body in her arms as tears feel down her face. This can't be happening. They had survived all of this just to watch the teen die in front of them.

The mayor started sobbing, "He's not breathing."

Rumple looked down at the floor and secretly wiped a tear away. Blue seemed to feel the sadness as well.

Emma closed her eyes. All of the love she had ever felt in all of her life flashed behind her eyelids. She thought of how her life had been before the dark haired boy had shaken it up. She thought about how happy she was just knowing that he still wanted her even after she had given him away. She couldn't believe what a perfect boy she had created, and what an amazing job Regina had done being his mom. Her parents came into her mind and how they had welcomed her with loving arms. She had dreamed of the moment she might meet her parents when she was young, and never once did she picture it as being as great as this. Then she thought of Ruby, and Granny, and the other people in town and how they adored Henry. Finally her mind saw Regina, the gorgeous brunette who had driven her crazy with angry and worry, but yet she had the ability to make the savior fall madly in love with her.

"Emma? What are you doing", Regina's voice forced the blonde's eyes open.

She jumped at the sight of herself. Her entire body was glowing white. She looked at her lover "I don't know" she said and then she looked down at her unconscious son and placed her hands over his chest. With everything she had in her she pushed a burst of white light through the boy's body, causing his body to light up.

Without warning Henry's eyes shot open and he gasped loudly. Everyone in the room jumped in surprise. Regina pulled her son close and hugged him, "Oh my God Henry!" Regina was sobbing again, but this time the blonde was sure they were happy tears.

"Mom, Emma?" The teen said quietly.

"I'm here kid", Emma said reaching over and rustling the dark mop on the boy's head. He sat up slowly and grabbed both of his mother's, "I'm sorry."

Regina and the sheriff hugged the boy back tightly and the mayor said, "There is nothing to be sorry about my prince."

"I said so many horrible things to you all." He burst into tears and the words that followed were distorted and no one could understand him.

Gold walked up behind Emma and smiled at the teen. Henry looked up, "Hi grandpa." He said sadly.

Rumple didn't speak; he just brushed his fingertips across the boy's forehead causing Henry to fall unconscious again.

Regina's head shot up, "What the hell is wrong with you? Why did you do that?"

Still the man said nothing, he just looked into the mayor furious eyes and then down to the boy. Henry's eye fluttered open, "Mom?"

Regina looked down at the teen. He seemed confused as he spoke, "What's going on? Why am I Grandpa's store?"

Regina looked to Emma and then to Gold, then back to her son, "What do you remember?"

Henry though for a moment and then said, "Talking to you and then going upstairs to go to bed."

Regina hugged her son again; she looked back to Rumple and nodded her head in his direction as she mouthed the words 'thank you'.


	32. Chapter 32

**Chapter32**

Emma decided it was time to go home for the night so she and her family could get some much needed sleep. Blue had said she was going to find out what Astrid was doing with fairy dust, and get back to them.

On the ride home, Regina and Emma explained what had happened, minus the things their son had said. They both knew that after everything their son had already been through, he didn't need the burden of guilt of his words.

Regina looked over at Emma, and then in the rear view mirror to see her son, "There is something else we need to tell you."

The sheriff whipped her head towards the mayor, "Are you sure now is the right time?"

Regina reached out for the blonde's hand, who complied, and the brunette squeezed it, "I don't want any more surprises and we promised him that we would be more honest with him."

Emma smiled, "You're right."

Regina glanced back up to the mirror, where she could see she held Henry's attention, "I'm pregnant."

Henry narrowed his eyes and then slammed his body into the back of the seat as he stared angrily out the window.

Regina's mouth fell open slightly as she looked over at Emma who was a little concerned herself. The mayor bit the side of her lip, "I take it you're not happy about having a sibling?"

Henry looked back at the mirror making eye contact with his mother, "That's not how you are supposed to have a baby mom! Not because some piece of shit raped you!"

Regina's eyes widened at her son response, but she didn't comment on his language, "Well, that's something else we need to discuss. Maybe I should have started with this, but I don't understand it fully myself."

Henry still had a scowl, "What?"

Emma looked back at the teen, "The baby is not Robin's."

Confusion crossed the boys features, "Wait, what? If it's not his then who else were you sleeping?"

Regina would have taken offense to the tone of her son's voice and the innuendo, however this was a sensitive topic, "Emma is the only other person I have been with."

"You and Emma had sex?" The boy asked.

Emma cheek burned as she blushed, "Umm, yes we did."

He looked out the window for a second and then back towards the front, "So you're trying to tell me the baby belongs to Emma?"

Regina pulled the car into the drive way of the mansion, "Yes, but we are supposed to go and see Granny about it, and she will tell us for sure."

As the car stopped and the brunette killed the engine, Emma looked back at her son nervously, "Are you upset?"

Henry looked into the rear view mirror at his adopted mother and then back to the blonde, "Not if it yours."

They all sat silently for a moment, and then finally climbing from the car and going into the house. Regina went into the kitchen to start making sandwiches for everyone, because no one had eaten in a while, and she figured it would be helpful if they ate before bed.

Henry and Emma sat in the family room on the couch.

They were quiet for a while, but then Henry spoke, "Are you guys sure it's not Robin's?"

Emma smiled, "That's what Mr. Gold and Mother Superior said. Gold seems pretty sure the kid is mine."

The teen shifted in his seat to look at the other woman, "Did mom know that when she found out?"

Emma ran her hand through her long blonde hair, "No. She thought it was Robin's too. As a matter fact when she told me we both thought it was his."

"How did you take the news? I bet mom was upset, wasn't she?" He asked.

Emma looked over at the boy, "Yeah kid, she was upset. I'm not sure how I reacted."

"Her reaction was better than mine", Regina said from the doorway, "Even when I told her I wanted to keep it she was willing to stay."

Henry looked at his adoptive mother, "Emma wouldn't leave you because of that", and he looked over at the blonde, "Right?"

She smiled up at Regina and said, "Never."

Regina leaned against the door frame with her arms folded across her chest, "Why don't you two come and eat and then we can all get ready to go to bed."

They all retreated to the kitchen. The sandwiches had been made and where already on plates sitting on the table, so everyone took a seat.

Henry took a bite of his food, when he swallowed, he asked, "If it were Robin's, why would you keep it?"

Regina's eyes glanced up into his and she took a deep breath, "I've spent a lifetime doing bad things, and hurting people, if I were to get 'rid' of it as you all like to say, then I am no better now than I was then."

He looked at her questionably, "But the baby would have come because of something horrible, you would never be able to look at it without it reminding you of what he did."

Regina sat her sandwich down and wiped her hand on her napkin, "It would be hard, but it is still an innocent child, and after all the bad I have done, I know I would have been able to forgive in time."

"You're a better person than me I guess", Henry said.

Emma took a sip a soda she had opened then looked at the boy, "Why do you say that?"

"I would love to have a little brother or sister, don't get me wrong, but if it were Robin's all I would be able to do is think of the things he did. I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to love the baby."

A tear slipped past the mayor's eye and she nodded in understanding. She was suddenly upset because she would have been willing to love this child no matter how they came about and her son could not.

Emma noticed Regina's face and said to her son, "But it's not Robin's so we don't have to worry about that."

Regina took a shaky breath and stood from the table to walk away, but Henry grabbed her arm, "If it were Robin's, I would do everything I could to love it, for you."

A sob mixed with a laugh passed the brunettes lips as she grabbed her son and hugged him, "I'm sure you would try your best."

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After eating everyone went to their rooms to get ready for bed. Regina and Emma brushed their teeth. The mayor put on her silk pajamas and Emma wore a tank top with shorts.

Regina sat on her side of the bed and plugged her cell phone into the charger, as Emma did the same on the opposite side of the bed.

The blonde asked, "So when do you want to go see Granny?"

Regina pulled the covers back on the bed and climbed in, "I'm not sure. I think we all need to go and see Archie first thing."

Emma climbed into her side of the king sized bed, "Who is 'we'?"

Regina lay back onto her pillows, "Henry, you, and I."

The blonde propped herself up on her elbow as she looked at the other woman, "I don't need to see Archie, I'm fine."

The brunette looked at the other woman, "That may be, but I would feel better if you talked to him."

A tap came at their door, "Come in" Regina said.

Henry opened the door and stood awkwardly, "Umm is there any way I might be able to sleep with you guys tonight?"

Regina sat up, and looked at the blonde then back to the teen, "Of course Honey. Is everything all right?"

She pulled the covers back to let the boy climb in. Once he was settled in between the two woman he said, "I don't want you guys to think I'm a sissy, but I'm a little nervous to sleep alone tonight."

Emma turned on her side facing the other two, "Kid we would never think you were a sissy. You are the toughest kid I have ever met."

Regina agreed and then asked softly, "Is it the nightmares that worry you?"

Henry simply nodded and then changed the subject, "Can I go with you when you two go to see Granny?"

Emma and the mayor made eye contact and then she said, "If you would like."

Everyone lay in silence for a moment before Regina reach for the lamp on her night stand and turned it out. She lay back then snuggled into the pillows pulling the comforter up to her chin. The room was so dark that she couldn't see her hand in front of her face and she whispered, "Goodnight you two."

Henry and Emma said in unison, "Goodnight."

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Emma opened her eyes to the feeling of being choked. Panic was starting to rise inside of her, until she realized her son had an arm over her neck. It had been a while since she had slept in the same bed as him, so she had forgotten how sprawled out he liked to be.

The blonde slipped quietly from the bed and looked at the two loves of her life as they slept. Regina was curled up to the boy as he took up most of Emma side of the bed and she smiled to herself. The smell of brewing coffee hit her nostrils and she shook her head. Her mother had let herself in again.

The sheriff grabbed a change of clothes and headed to the bathroom. She needed a shower something fierce. After she brushed her teeth, she climbed into the glass shower and stood under the stream of hot water with her hands against the tiles.

She had slept well and for some reason, she was feeling energized. She could smell bacon now and her stomach growled. She was actually glad her mother was there.

"Is there room for two?" Regina's voice asked from behind her.

She spun around to see a naked mayor standing at the shower door and Emma's breath caught, "Y-yeah." She stuttered.

The blonde had seen the queen fully naked before, but under the circumstances at the time she didn't pay attention, however the brunette had her full attention now. Not wanting continue staring dumbly at the beautiful woman with a goddess like body, she turned and started soaping up.

Regina stepped up to her, pressing the front of her body into the back of the blonde's.

A moan almost slipped passed the sheriff's lip and she had to clamp her teeth together as she could feel the other woman's bare breast push into her back. Regina reached around the sheriff grabbing the shampoo, letting her breast graze the other woman's back, causing her to drop the sponge, "If you keep that up, we won't be leaving this shower."

The queen gave a sly grin, "Really? What would we be doing?"

Emma turned, letting her wet body slide against the lovely olive skin of the mayor's, and she bit the inside of her cheek in order to stop another moan. Regina let out a very seductive purr as she leaned closer letting her lips grab ahold of Emma's. The kiss was hungry, and the blonde wanted more.

Suddenly Emma pulled back, "Where is Henry?"

Regina smiled, "He heard your mother downstairs and went to assist."

Before the younger woman could respond, the queen reclaimed her lips. The sheriff hummed into the brunette's mouth as the mayor's tongue slipped past and dominated hers. Emma could feel her own arousal growing at an alarming rate and she pushed the older woman back until her back was pressed up against the glass wall of the shower, as Emma fought for power with her tongue. Her hands were gripping the mayor's hips as the kiss continued.

Emma pulled back to catch her breath, as she lowered her head down to the brunette's neck and let her mouth graze across the delicate flesh. Her tongue flicked over her pulse point and she placed her lips over it sucking in lightly, causing the older woman to moan.

The blonde glided her hands up until they reached Regina's breast. She cupped them gently in her palms, lowering her head to place feather light kisses to the flat space between the other woman's busts. Regina pressed her hips forward into Emma to relieve the pressure that had been building between her thighs. The blonde slipped her knee in between the other woman's legs and was rewarded by a lustful growl as the brunette slid her wet center across the muscular leg.

Emma raised her head and captured the brunette's lips again. She let her palms softly massage the small, yet firm breast in her hands, letting her finger tease the hardened nipples there.

Regina pulled back breaking the kiss, her eyes were glazed over and her pupils were dilated with desire, "Emma, please."

The blonde smiled cockily, and then grabbed the other woman's lips again, as she let her right hand very slowly slip from the mayor's breast. Regina's breath hitched and she kissed the sheriff harder when Emma's hand reached the flat of her stomach..

Emma let her hand pause just above the small tuft of dark hair at the top of the brunette's sex. Regina closed her eyes in an attempt to prepare herself for the intense release she knew she would get when the blonde touched her in the right ways.

The hand slipped down instantly finding the wetness, "Oh god." Emma growled in excitement. The sheriff let one finder glide through the other woman's slick folds as she skimmed over the small bundle of nerves she found, causing the brunette to moan and thrust her hips forward. Emma slowly messaged Raina's clit and the mayor's breathing began to speed up. The blonde tightened her left arm around the mayor to ensure her knees would not fail her. She moved her finger down slowly finding the queens entrance, teasing it for a moment and then she slid her finger inside.

Regina's moan was loader now and Emma started pumping in a rhythm. The mayor's arms wrapped around the sheriff's shoulders as her hip met each thrust. The brunette dug her finger nails into the soft skin of the blonde's shoulder blades as she added a second finger, causing the mayor gasp.

Emma sped up the pace of her hand and then curled her finger upwards inside the other woman. Regina moaned loudly as she thrusted her hips meeting each of blonde's, until she was moaning louder, "Oh Emma!"

Her body shuttered and Emma slowed her pace as she let the other woman ride out her orgasm. Regina's grip had tightened around the blonde for fear that her legs would not work.

Emma gently kissed the older woman's lips. She pulled back and looked at Regina, who had her eyes closed and her head back against the glass. The brunette smiled, opening her eyes, "Wow."

Suddenly the bathroom door flew open, "Regina is everything…"

Emma's head shot up in surprise as Snow realized what she had just walked in on, "Oh my God. I'm sorry." The short haired brunette looked down at the floor covering her eyes with her hands, and then she backed out of the room, closing the door.

Emma had stepped closer to the older woman in an effort to hide herself from her mother. She was mortified. Out of every family scenario she had ever played out in her head, she failed to image this one.

Regina covered her mouth with her hand, falling forward into her lover bursting into laughter, "At least she didn't walk in about two minutes ago." Her body shook as she continued to laugh.

Emma kissed the other woman softly, "We should probably finish bathing and go down stairs."

The queen leaned closer to whisper in the blonde's ear, "But we haven't finished", her lips brushed the outer shell of the blonde's ear, causing an involuntary shiver to go up the sheriff's back.

Emma closed her eyes, and then sighed, "We can finish later."

Regina pushed out her bottom lip in a pouting manner, causing Emma to laugh, "I would love to continue this, forever if it were possible, but we need to get moving."

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.

Emma and Regina had come down the stairs together, after they had showered and dress. The blonde had found it intriguing to watch the older woman as she did her daily routine. The sheriff had often wondered what the mayor did before she went to work every day.

As they stepped into the kitchen, Snow kept her head down and busied herself with breakfast, refusing to look at the two women. David seemed to blush a little as he sat at the table reading the paper. Regina looked over at their son who was drinking chocolate milk.

The teen sat the glass down, "I told her you guys were fine, but no one ever wants to listen."

Suddenly the mayor and the sheriff were blushing. Henry didn't seem bothered by the fact that one mother had screamed out the other mother's name during sex.

"I do think we need some sort of signal when you two are going to be doing it, though. Like college guys do by putting a sock on the doorknob or something", Henry said leaning back nonchalantly in his chair.

For a brief moment, Regina thought she would die. When did her son get so desensitized to sex? She then shook away the thought when she remembered what her son had endured in the past week, not to mention he was a teenager now.

Emma walked over to the table and pulled out a chair to sit. She smiled, "Good Morning Dad."

David still looked intensely at the paper in his hands, "That's against the rules."

The sheriff looked at him strangely, "What is?"

"Being chipper with your father when he knows why you are chipper", David said.

Emma laughed, "You do realize I am an adult, and that we are all technically the same age?"

Regina walked up to Snow as she was flipping bacon in a skillet, "Do you need any help?"

Mary Margret looked up briefly, and the mayor could see the red in her cheeks and smiled, "Sure, if you want."

Regina grabbed plates from the cabinet, and started spooning scrambled eggs onto them, then buttered toast that Snow had already prepared. The short haired brunette placed bacon strips on each plate as she passed on her way to the table. Regina served everyone a dish and once the last plate was finished Snow turned off the stove and joined everyone at the table.

The queen sat down and looked at Emma's parents, "We are supposed to go and see Granny later today."

Both parents looked up alert, "Oh yeah?" David asked.

She picked up her fork, "Yeah, I was thinking maybe you two would like to come with us."

Mary Margret looked at David and then back to the mayor, "We would love to, if you're sure."

Regina looked over at Emma, who shrugged her shoulders, "I don't mind."

"I'll call Granny in a bit and ask when she can see us, and then I'll text you", the mayor said to Snow.

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Henry stood beside his moms as they waited for the red headed man. The teen had seen the shrink for years and had even considered the man a fairly close friend. He was nervous because this time was different. After everything that had happened he didn't really feel like the same person.

Archie opened the door, "Hey Regina, Emma, Henry." He said looking to each person, "Am I just speaking with one or all of you?" the man asked with an unsure smile?

The boy knew the man was still nervous when he was around his adoptive mother, but he had come along way with his confidence dealing with her. Henry also knew his mother was different now.

Regina looked over at Emma, then to the doctor, "Both."

The shrinks eyes widened, "Oh, okay." He seemed to look at the clock on the wall.

Regina rolled her eyes, "Not all today cricket, we will start with Henry."

The man smiled, "All right. Henry if you would like to step inside."

Henry looked up at his moms who both gave him a reassuring smile. He walked past the man, and went into the office. Without waiting, the teen went over to the couch and sat down, as Archie closed the door.

The man took his seat in his usual chair next to the couch, holding a note book and pin, "What do you want to talk about?" Archie was well aware of all of the goings on in the past week. Not very many things happened in the town that someone didn't know about and in turn, they all liked to share with the shrink.

Henry took a deep breath, "I'm more worried about my mom."

Archie crossed his legs as he adjusted in his seat. Laying the notebook onto his knee, "What is it you are worried about?"

The teen scratched his head, and then placed his hand in his lap, "I know she is very happy being with Emma, and that is great, but she hasn't really dealt with what happened to her. She has to keep worrying about everyone else, and she just found out that she is pregnant", Henry saw the horror in the man's eyes, "It's not Robin's, but that is still a lot for her to take all at once and I think she is only hanging on by a thread."

The shrink removed his glasses and started cleaning the lenses with the edge of his vest. That was information he had not known about, "How is your mom doing with the news of a baby?"

Henry looked up at him, "Which one?"

"Umm either of them", he said as he tried to clear his mind of confusion to which mother he was speaking of.

The teen shrugged, "Well, mom wants to keep it, and come to find out she wanted to keep it even when she thought it was Robin's. I think Emma would do anything for my mom. She seemed happy about the baby. They told me, that she told mom, Emma would stay even if it did belong to Robin."

Archie put his glasses back into place, "I think your mom is tougher than you give her credit for. She has never had someone to care for her as Emma does, that is the start of a great support system, plus she has you, doesn't she?"

Henry had a twinge of guilt from his reaction when he though his mother was pregnant with her rapist's baby, "Not always. I don't always think before I say things sometimes. I know I hurt her when I got mad about the baby."

The man smile kindly, "We don't always react to bad news in the best way. Sometimes our mouths let out words our brains aren't ready for."

"I guess, but it doesn't make it okay", Henry said, looking down at his shoes.

"No, it doesn't, but that's why we have people we can trust to not hold it against and that will still love us no matter what we say or do. All you can do now that you are aware of your reaction, is to be a better listener and try to think before you react. I'm going to help your mom, but I am counting on you to be part of her support system when she isn't here", the shrink said.

Henry nodded his head in understanding, "You have to help Emma too. She hasn't been herself since all of this happened, and other than me, I know she loves my mom more than anything."

Archie smiled, "I will do my best. Now let's talk about you. Your mom said you were having nightmares."

Henry fidgeted with his hands, "Yeah. I keep seeing Robin and hearing him say things about my mom, and what he did to her."

The cricket scribbled something down in his notebook and then looked back at the teen, "I know you went through a lot when Robin kidnapped you. In your dream does he hurt you?"

Henry shook his head, "No. I wish it were him kicking or hitting me, I could handle that, but it's not. All he does is run his mouth about what he did to mom. He keeps repeating that she deserved it. Do you know she actually cared for him? She thought that scum was her true love, and then he did that too her. He told her he loved her too, how could you do that to someone you are supposed to love?" the boys words ending in a low tone as his anger level rose.

The tone did not go unnoticed by the shrink. He leaned closer, "Henry, he can't hurt her anymore, he's gone."

Henry's scowled, "It depends on how you look at that. Yeah he is dead and not physically here, but his effect on everyone is still pretty strong."

Archie put his hand on the boy's shoulder, "Henry, I know it seems like that now, but in time, he will be spoke of less and less, and then he will be thought about less and less until eventually he is only a distant memory."

"How much time?" Henry asked.

The man smiled softly, "There's no way to know that, but believe me when I say this will get better."

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Regina sat nervously in a chair next to Emma in the waiting room. She really hoped Archie could help her son and Emma get through this. The blonde reached over and took her hand interlocking their fingers. The queen smiled looking down at their joined hands.

The door opened and Henry stepped out followed by Archie. The red headed man smiled at the couple, "I have time right now if one of you wanted to come in."

Regina looked at Emma, who purposely looked away pretending not to hear the man. Regina shook her head, "Really?" She asked looking at her lover.

Emma looked up and saw the determined look in the mayor's eyes and sighed, "Fine, but you should be going in first."

Regina released the blonde's hand and gave her shoulder a slight push forward, "Go."

Emma stood up and looked over at her son, then back to the mayor, "I'm only doing this for you." She sulked as she walked passed the shrink and into his office.

Regina smiled at how normal it seemed being a couple with the blonde. They had not officially called themselves that, but Regina couldn't imagine herself with anyone else. With the smile still on her lips she glanced over at Henry who grinned at her, "I have never seen you so happy", Regina blushed and he said, "It looks good on you."

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Emma sat uncomfortably on the couch. Archie was not at all an intimidating man, but he wanted her to tell him her feelings and suddenly he was a bit scary. She was not good at this and had she only recently found another person she trusted enough to start opening up.

She shifted herself a bit on the piece furniture, "I'm not very good at this Archie."

He smiled, "I know, we don't have to talk about anything you don't want to talk about." He stared at her.

Her palms were sweating, "But we have to talk about something or I will let Regina down."

He narrowed his eyebrows, "Why would you let Regina down if you don't talk?"

"Because she wants me too. She wants me to talk to you about what has went on in the last week so that I don't crack up I guess", Emma said.

"You would do anything for her, wouldn't you?" He asked.

She looked at him and paused, and then said, "Yes I would. I failed her once and that won't happen again."

Archie sat up straighter as he wrote in his notebook, "When did you fail her?"

Emma rubbed her damp palms down her denim covered thighs, "When she was attacked, I wasn't there."

The shrink raised an eyebrow, "How were you supposed to know she would be attacked? You can't be everywhere at once."

"I was two hours late turning in my weekly reports. Had I been there on time, she would have been safe at home with Henry instead of…" She didn't finish the sentence, instead she swallowed.

"Emma, you can't know that for sure. From what I hear, Hood was pretty relentless. How do you know he wouldn't have gone to her house and attack her there?" The man asked.

The blonde's eyes looked into the freckle faced man's eyes. She hadn't thought of that, and the cricket was probably right. He did try to attack her at home after that.

"How do you feel about what happened with Hook?" He asked.

Emma sat back on the couch and looked up at the ceiling, "How do I feel about Hook?" She repeated and then said he's dead, and the town is rid of one more low life scum."

Archie wasn't surprised at the woman's lack of concern for the man, but that she was still so angry with him, "Didn't the two of you have a relationship?"

"Yeah, and then I broke up with him. He was only after one thing and when he didn't get it, he betrayed my entire family hurting people along the way. Regina and Henry could have died because of him." She said.

The man nodded his head writing in his book again, "Let's talk about the claims that you were going around assaulting people?"

"What about them? Those people were talking bad about Regina." Emma said.

Archie smiled his usual smile, "You are law enforcement, and you can't go around assaulting people."

Emma was getting agitated, "This town is filled with story book characters who want everyone to think they are the good guys and Regina Mills is the Evil Queen, but those same people acted no different than her and in many cases, worse. She spent a life time with no one on her side and she was alone. I will make sure that never happen again."

The shrink smiled, "I see. How about Robin's death?"

The sheriff narrowed her eyes, "What about it?"

"Do you feel any remorse?" He asked.

Emma's eyes grew darker, "No, and I would do it again if I had the chance."

Archie swallowed, feeling a bit uncomfortable with the sheriff at the second. He scribbled something else down and then asked, hoping to find a softer note, "How are things with your parent?"

Emma looked at him, "Good, great actually. We were able to resolve a lot of things and we are trying to move forward as a family."

"So David and Mary Margret are all right with you and Regina's relationship?" He asked in surprise.

She shrugged, "Yeah. My mom and Regina are becoming better friends, and David has broken ground with her as well. They are both happy that we are happy. Hell Regina and Gold are even getting along." She laughed, "Can you image?"

The cricket was surprised, "No, that one I would have never seen coming."


	33. Chapter 33

**Chapter33**

Regina, Emma and Henry walked into the diner for their meeting with Granny. She made an appointment with Archie and told him they could see about scheduling a group session in the near future.

Snow was at the counter waiting on them while Granny was in the back. David had texted and said he wouldn't be able to make it because he had a lead on the lost boy who had stolen the box, and Fredrick was at the station if there was an emergency.

Ruby came around the corner with a big grin, "Hey ladies, can I get you something while you wait?"

Emma smiled, "I'll take a hot chocolate."

"Make that two." Henry said.

Ruby looked at Regina expectantly, but the mayor shook her head, "Nothing for me, thank you."

The waitress smiled and turned to fill their order.

Emma looked at her lover sympathetically, "Are you still feeling queasy?"

Regina smiled, "No, surprisingly."

Emma looked surprised, "That's weird. I was sick with Henry for like a whole month."

The mayor shrugged, "I don't know, I feel fine right now."

Granny rounded the corner at the same time Ruby sat the hot chocolates down, "Sorry about that, had to fire our dishwasher and we have been a bit short handed around here."

Regina smiled, "It's quite all right."

Henry looked up with a whipped cream mustache, "Who was your dishwasher?"

"Felix." She said with an annoyed tone.

Emma and Henry snapped their heads towards each other, then she asked, "What did he get canned for?"

Granny looked at the curious expression on the boy and his birth mother's faces, "For not showing up for work. For the past month he would come to work for a couple of days, then not show up the next. I overlooked it at first because we needed the help so badly, but when all of the stuff happened around here, he hasn't been back, and then this morning, he calls me wanting his job back," She huffed out a laugh, "I told him to forget it. In not so nice of words."

Emma looked at Henry again and for a minute you would have thought the two were telepathic because the blonde said, "I'm on it."

She grabbed her phone and dialed David.

"Hello?" He said answered.

Emma blurted, "Felix! That is the lost boy we are looking for."

"How do you know that?" He asked.

"I'll tell how later, just find him." Emma said then ended the call.

Regina was watching Emma and her son with a surprised look. She was happy that her two loves had a bond like they did. She reached over and wiped the whipped cream from her son's upper lip and smiled.

Emma spun around after putting her phone in her pocket, "Hopefully David finds him." She grabbed her cup and took a sip. When she lowered the cup, her upper lip matched her son's causing Henry and Regina to laugh, and the brunette wiped it away.

"If you all will follow me to the back room, we can start." Granny said as she walked away.

Once they were in the back room Granny looked at Regina, "You need to lie down on the sofa, and get comfortable."

Regina complied as she made her way over towards the pink flowery patterned sofa. Emma started to feel a little anxiety. She had not been the best mother to her son, and she didn't know if she would be a good mom to a baby.

Granny pulled a wooden chair up next the sofa, then sat down on the limited space that was provided next to Regina on the sofa, "Emma you sit in this chair."

Snow and Henry stood back and watched as the old woman pushed the brunette's shirt up enough to expose her stomach. The older wolf placed her hand palm down over the flat belly, and closed her eyes. Emma looked at Regina and could tell she was nervous. The blonde reached out and took the other woman's hand.

The old woman inhaled deeply, and then opened her eyes. Reaching for a small dagger that looked more like a letter opener, she said, "I need blood from both of you."

Emma eyebrows shot up, "What like, prick our fingers?"

Granny looked at the blonde, "No, you will have to slice your palm for this."

Emma jumped up, "Are you nuts?"

Regina looked over at Emma, "Emma, please sit down. We need to know."

Emma ran her hand through her hair, turned and looked at her son, who said, "Come on Emma, you can heal it when it's over."

She let out a breath of air and sat back down. Sometimes the blonde found herself amazed at how these people were able to blend in, and not give off any clues that they were from a different world, but then they would pull some barbaric shit like this and suddenly she remember where they came from, "Fine."

Granny handed the knife to Regina who without hesitation gripped the blade and pulled it downwards. The old woman held out a bowl which caught the blood that was now dripping from her palm.

"Your turn." Regina said passing the knife.

Emma shook her head, "You do it, I'm not sure I can."

The queen made eye contact with the blonde and nodded. The sheriff held her hand out palm up, and Regina quickly slid the blade across the sensitive flesh and the savior hissed in pain. Granny grabbed Emma's wrist directing to the bowl, then she put the two lover's hand together in order to mix the blood.

The old woman pulled the bowl away handing the two women a cloth to stop their bleeding. Emma watched the older wolf as she swirled the bowl, mixing the blood. Regina handed her the knife back, who in turn quickly swiped the blade across the mayor's stomach leaving blood to seep to the surface and making Regina shriek.

She jumped up again, "What the fuck?"

"Emma, calm down. Granny knows what she is doing", her mother said from behind her, pushing down on her shoulder in an attempt to get the woman to sit back down.

The blonde sat down looking worriedly at Regina.

"I'm fine." She said to Emma, and then turned to the old woman who had stopped during the outburst, "You can continue."

Emma wiped her forehead, and repositioned herself in the chair. The wolf scraped the blade along the new cut and gathered some of blood that had pooled up and then let it drop into the bowl. She used the blade to stir the thick red liquid together. Reaching over across the coffee table she picked up a lit candle that looked like it had some sort of melted metallic in the wax. The woman poured it into the bowl.

"What is that?" Emma asked.

Granny continued mixing the contents of the bowl but answered, "Silver."

"I thought silver was poison for you guys." The blonde said.

Granny sighed looking over her glasses at the curious woman, "It is, but we wolves have particular senses, and when silver is added we are able to smell and feel nearly every element."

Emma really had no clue what that meant, but decided that she would stop asking questions and let the woman finish.

The old woman took the now, slightly chunky mixture and poured it into the cut on Regina's stomach. The blood immediately started to bubble and Regina grunted in pain.

Emma wanted to jump up again, but she stayed where she was, if Regina didn't trust the old woman they wouldn't be here.

"Why does it look like it is boiling?" The sheriff asked.

"Because it is. That is what happens when you mix light magic, dark magic and wolf magic." The old woman said.

The silver seemed to be getting absorbed by the cut. After a few seconds the blood was all that remained and Granny used the bowl to scoop it back up, placing the bowl back down on the table.

Suddenly Regina screamed out in pain causing everyone except Granny to jump. Emma moved closer to her lover and Granny said, "Don't touch her."

"Why not?" Emma asked wanting to comfort the brunette.

"You will taint it." The woman said.

Regina cried out again and the old woman leaned over looking at the cut. Emma looked over and was shocked to see the silver was seeping back out from her wound, but it was back to a liquid state.

Granny placed her hand down over the cut and pressed down slightly. She hissed in pain as she pulled her hand back and looked at her palm. The silver had burned her instantly as it melted into her flesh, leaving behind a section of now missing skin.

Emma's eyes were wide. She was dumbstruck. The blonde didn't think she would ever get used to this kind of stuff. Magic was something she had only seen on TV, and knowing she had magic herself was mind blowing.

The old woman closed her eyes in a meditating way. Emma half expected her to say om, but of course she didn't, so instead Emma was chewing her nail nervously as they waited.

Granny slowly opened her eyes and smiled, "Well it's not Robin's."

Regina looked up at the old woman, "Whose is it?"

Granny let her eyes glide over all of the faces in the room, until it stopped at the blonde's, "Emma's."

The mayor closed her eyes and smiled as Emma looked up, "So it's possible for me to impregnate her with magic. Do I need to use some sort of protection after the baby comes?"

Granny laughed loudly and after a while she collected herself and said, "No child, it doesn't work like that. You cannot get someone pregnant with magic; it's a bit more complicated than that."

Emma's eyes narrowed, "I don't understand."

The old woman gave Regina a wet cloth to wipe her wound and stood up collecting the bowl, "Her egg was fertilized by Robin, but when the two of you," she looked up at Henry and then said, "Did what you did, your combined magic changed the babies DNA, making you the father." The old woman wasn't sure if that was the correct term so she added, "Or whatever."

Regina asked, "Has this ever happened before?"

Granny chuckled, "Not to my knowledge, but I heard stories about another couple long before me that had something similar happen."

Emma was still confused, "So just like that our magic changed the baby?"

Granny sighed again, "You are the Savior. You already had the strongest white magic, and then Regina has some pretty potent dark magic with a hint of light, not to mention you mixed it all with true love which is the strongest magic of all. So yes, just like that, your magic changed the baby."

"What is the sex of the baby?" Henry asked.

Granny looked at him, "I'm a werewolf boy, not a magician."

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Regina was feeling very hungry all of the sudden and thought that the family could just have lunch in the diner, since they were already there. Snow joined them at the table and seemed more happy than normal. Henry seemed pretty giddy himself.

Ruby came over to the table, setting down drinks for everyone, "So what can I get you all."

Each person gave their order, and the younger wolf took a mental note of what they said. Turning on her heels, she left to tell the cook.

Regina was sitting next to the window staring out lost in thought. Emma gently placed her hand on the brunette's thigh, and asked in a soft tone, "You okay?"

The mayor turned to see everyone looking at her and then smiled at the blonde, "Yeah." She brought her hand down to meet Emma's and interlocked their fingers.

Having Granny do the ritual, just made the queen's being pregnant more real. She did feel a bit overwhelmed, but she felt happy at the same time. She felt like she was all over the place and had been bouncing through every emotion simultaneously for over a week, which felt like a life time. And she was still worried that her son may not really want to accept a baby.

"So how long do we have to wait to find out what the baby will be?" Henry asked.

Snow smiled at him, "Umm not until your mom is about fifteen weeks, I think."

"We have to wait fifteen weeks? Man that sucks." Henry said dropping his shoulders.

"It will be faster than you think", Granny said walking up to their table.

All eyes were on her as she continued, "I forgot to tell you one tiny little thing."

Regina looked at Emma with uneasiness and then back at the old woman, "What didn't you tell us."

Granny looked nervous, "Well because this is a magical pregnancy, things are going to go a little faster."

Emma shot the woman a look, "How much faster are we talking?"

"Well I don't know that for sure, it could be that she is only pregnant for eight months or seven, I don't know. I would suggest scheduling an appointment with Dr. Wales. He could at least keep track of the growth rate" The older wolf said walking away.

Regina rubbed her forehead, "Nothing is ever going to be easy, is it?"

Emma squeezed the brunette's hand, "Hey, we will get through this."

The mayor wiped a rouge tear from her eye, and looked at her son, "Are you really okay with us having a baby?"

Henry smiled and started to stand. Regina wasn't sure where he was going, but then he stepped up onto his chair and turned to look at the crowded diner, "Hey everybody!" He shouted collecting every person, including Granny's attention in the building, "I'm going to be a big brother!"

Regina's eyes widened at her son's announcement. Fear rushed through her, but then everyone in the diner began to cheer. He climbed down and went over to her, "I'm more than okay with it." He stepped closer and hugged her.


	34. Chapter 34

**Chapter34**

Henry sat at his birth mother's desk staring at the empty cells. Blue had managed to cure Leroy and Will of their poisoning and after David had chewed the dwarf up one side and down the other over his carelessness, he vowed it would never happen again. Like most everyone else, David had no problem with Grumpy being with a fairy, but he needed to find safer meeting spots.

Henry had wanted to tag along while Regina and Snow went to pay the doctor a visit. The boy hoped everything went well with the baby. He did think it would be cool to have a little brother or sister. The teen could teach them how to play video games, and finally have someone who he could boss around.

Emma was in interrogation with one of the lost boys in an attempt to find Felix. David rounded the corner with a cup. He stopped at the water cooler and filled before saying, "He is giving us nothing."

Henry shook his head, "You two are wasting your time. Those guys will not roll on each other."

David didn't respond, he just walked back towards the interrogation room.

The teen rolled his eyes and stood up. He walked over to the window and peered out. A few people were out and about. An old woman that was walking her Yorkie passed the front of the station. A younger woman pushed a stroller through the cross walk as she pulled a toddler by the hand. A teenager on a skateboard rolled to a halt at the cross walk across the street. The kid had a hoodie on with the hood down over his head. The light changed and as he turned to make sure the street was clear; Henry saw that it was Felix.

Henry started to run to the back and get his mother, but when he looked back to the other boy was crossing the street, so Henry took off out the door.

As he rounded the corner he caught sight of the other boy a distance from him. He didn't want the kid to see him, he wanted to find where he was going and then Henry would call Emma.

The skateboarder turned down an alley in the distance and Henry walked faster in fear that he would lose him. As he got to the alley way, he ducked down beside a dumpster.

From Henry's position he could the other boy. Felix rolled to a stop and flipped his board up catching in his hands. He looked left and then right to ensure no one saw him and then he went to a grate on the side of an old theater and slid it open, revealing a secret entrance. He looked around once more, and then slipped inside, letting the grate fall back into place.

Henry waited for a few minute until he felt it was clear to follow. He walked over to the grate and slid it to the side and looked in. It was dark but it seemed to be a short tunnel, like an old air conditioning system vent or something, so he went in.

The boy slowly and quietly crept forward. He could hear voices from somewhere ahead of him. Henry peeked out from around the tunnel and noticed he was in an old dressing room, but the voices were coming from the other side of a door in front of him.

"What are we going to do now, Felix?" A younger boy's asked.

"What do you think I've been doing all this time?" The older boy asked.

"I thought you were getting Peter." Another voice said.

"I already tried to get him back, but it didn't work, remember, so you all are stuck with me." Felix said.

Henry grabbed his phone from his pocket to text Emma, but where he was standing, He didn't have any signal. He sighed turning around to exit the tunnel, when he heard what sounded like a drill. He widened his eyes and hurried to the exit, but one of the city workers had fastened the grate back into place.

SQSQSQSQSQSQSQ

Regina lay back on the examination table biting her lower lip. The doctor had examined her cervix and assured her that her body was healthy enough to carry a baby, but she couldn't figure out how Robin was able to get her pregnant in the first place if he was shooting blanks, but then she remembered that Robin was poisoned with black magic and instead of him actually being able to cast magic, such as Henry had done, his body had magically healed enough to make swimmers, she wasn't really sure about that.

Dr. Wales had taken blood, and had left the room to find an ultrasound machine. Snow sat in the chair in the corner smiling.

Regina stared up at the ceiling, "Maybe I should wait for Emma before we have an ultrasound done."

Snow could see the trepidation on her face, "Umm why don't you call her?"

"I don't want to bug her." She said.

Snow passed her cellphone over to the older woman, "You are the last person in this world or the next that she would ever claim would bug her."

Regina smiled and took the device dialing the number.

"Hey, is everything okay?" Emma answered knowing who it was by the caller ID.

"Yeah, everything is fine. Dr. Wales wants to do an ultrasound, but I can wait until you are here with me." Regina said.

"Regina, no, do the ultrasound. You can bring me a picture, and I will make sure I am at all of the other appointments, but you have to find out everything you can to make sure everything will go well", Emma assured her.

Dr. Wales walked into the room pushing the machine with him.

Regina said, "All right, well I guess I'll call you when we are finished because the doctor just came in."

Regina could hear the smile in the blonde's voice, "Okay, I love you."

The brunette smiled before replying, "I love you too."

The doctor plugged the machine in and started setting it up, when the ultra sound technician came in with the gel in her hands. Dr. Wales smiled, "Well I will let Mrs. Todd take over from here and I'll speak with you after."

Regina watched the man walk out of the room. The much younger woman pushed the queen's gown up as she opened the gel bottle, "This is going to be a bit chilly."

The mayor sucked in a breath when the icy gelatinous liquid was squirted onto her stomach. Snow had stood and walked closer so she could that see the monitor. Regina narrowed her eyes in confusion as she looked at her belly. It seemed as though her stomach had swollen a bit since they were at the diner, which was only short time ago. She thought that she may be bloated or something, but she had noticed on the way here that her pants were feeling snug.

The tech pressed the wand to the brunette's abdomen and slowly started moving it. They could hear swishing sounds and then a heartbeat, "How far along are you?" The tech asked.

Regina responded, "Almost a week."

The woman's head shot up, "That's impossible."

Snow looked closer at the monitor and gasped.

Honestly Regina wasn't sure what she was looking at on the machine because most of it looked the same, "What the matter?"

"This fetus is at least ten weeks." The tech said.

Regina looked at the other woman, "No, that is not possible."

The tech started to continue to argue but Snow stopped her, "Go get Dr. Wales, he understands the situation."

The woman didn't hesitate; she turned and hurried out of the room.

Snow stepped closer to Regina, "Wow, Granny said it would be a faster pregnancy, but she didn't say it would go this quick."

Regina was suddenly afraid. She had never been pregnant, she didn't know what to expect and she wasn't sure she would be able to handle her pregnancy going this quickly. She was over whelmed and tears were about to fall.

The Dr. came back into the room and picked up the wand. Pressing it into her stomach, he gasped, but didn't say anything, just continued to move the device. After several seconds, he said, "At least I can tell you that the baby appears very healthy."

His fascination at the growth of the baby was riding the brunette's nerves; she just wanted to see Emma.

She slapped the doctor's hand away and sat up. Snow asked in concern, "Regina what are doing?"

The watery eyes of the older woman meet the short haired brunette's, "I need to see Emma."

Snow nodded in understanding and looked at the doctor, "We will check back in with you soon."

The doctor nodded and exited the room. He knew as well as anyone that arguing with either of those two women was not in his best interest.

Mary Margret helped the other woman clean the gel off and then assisted the mayor in getting dressed. She could see that the woman was on the brink of a break down.

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Emma walked the uncooperative teen to the door of the station, "Thanks for nothing kid."

"Anytime." The boy smirked as he exited the building.

The blonde wanted to yell in frustration. She was someone who actually understood the whole honor thing, but not when she needed the information.

She walked back to her desk and plopped down. She should have listened to her kid, but what kind of cop would she be if she didn't try. She really thought she could use a drink, but then shook her head. There had been enough bad things involving alcohol in last week to last forever.

She heard the station door open and she turned her head in time to see her mother come around the corner, followed by a very upset looking Regina.

The sheriff shot up out of her seat and rushed over to her lover, "What happened?"

Regina burst into tears and fell into her lovers arms. Emma gave a worried looked to her mother, but instead of saying anything, she held the older woman tighter and softly petted the brunette locks. The blonde could feel the mayor tear on her neck and she whispered soothing word while she waited for her to gain the ability to speak.

David came around the corner from the bathroom, "What's wrong?"

Snow put up her hand to stop him and then shook her head. He looked at her puzzled but remained silent. Emma looked at him from over the queen's head as she continued soothing her lover.

Regina's sobs seemed to slow and she raised her head, "I don't know if I can do this."

Emma gently herded the woman over to her desk chair, convincing her to sit, "What do you mean, you will do great?"

Regina covered her face as more tears came, "No I won't."

The blonde was under the assumption that the other woman was scared so she smiled, "I will be right beside you the entire time."

Another sob came out as Regina said, "The ultra sound said that the baby is already ten weeks."

Emma face sobered, and she glanced up at her mother who confirmed the statement. Looking back at the mayor she said optimistically, "Well, that just means we need to hurry up and plan a baby shower."

The queen let her hands fall to her lap as she looked at the blonde, "Emma please, do not make jokes right now."

Emma knelt down in front of Regina, "I wasn't." She took the other woman's hands in her own, "I know you are scared and this speedy pregnancy isn't ideal, but I promise I will be right beside you no matter what happens."

Green eyes stared into puffy brown ones and Regina didn't say anything, she just let her forehead rest against the blondes and closed her eyes. Emma brought her lips to the brunettes and kissed her.

Snow walked over and handed the older woman a tissue, and Emma stood up letting her lover clean her face and blow her nose.

David asked, "SO, besides how fast the baby is growing, is it healthy?"

Snow answered, "The doctor said it was very healthy and he also said that everything is good with Regina too."

David nodded and smiled, "Well that is good news."

Regina let out a small laugh and wiped her nose. She glanced up and looked around the room, "Where is Henry."

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Henry moved quietly around the room looking for another exit. It was dark and the only light he could see, was that in which shown from under the door that the voices had come from.

He crept closer to it and listened. The voices had stopped and he was sure he heard the footsteps move away. The boy took a deep breath and slowly opened the door. It was the back stage hallway and luckily it was empty.

He tiptoed towards the back curtain and could hear more talking.

"What did I tell you Kevin? If you didn't come back with anything, you don't eat", Felix's voice was clear.

Henry got up close to the curtain and could see Felix was sitting in a chair and about seven other boys standing in a line in front of the older boy on the stage.

"Come on Felix, I always bring stuff back. Today is the only day I didn't because the people came home early and I had to run", Kevin said.

Henry noticed that all of the other boys were holding things that he assumed they stolen.

"I said no!" the older boy pushed Kevin back causing him to fall.

Henry didn't understand, all of these boys were placed in foster homes all over Story Brooke. He had even heard a number of the families wanted to adopt the boys. He wondered if his mom was aware of this.

A little boy that looked to be about five or six years old step forward holding a purse. Felix looked at him and then held out his hand. The boy placed the purse in his hands and he started rummaging through it.

The older boy pulled out a wallet and opened it, "There's no money in here stupid."

The littler boy looked scared, "I didn't have time to look in it."

Felix glared, "Then you don't have time to eat Benny." He pushed the boy back by the face.

Henry remembered how he had been bullied and how he had promised himself that he would never let someone else go through that, so he pushed passed the curtain and onto the stage, "Leave him alone!"

Felix jumped up from his chair, at first startled but then anger took over, "What the hell are you doing here?"

Henry stood a few feet from the older boy, "I could ask you the same thing."

"Look boys, it the one who betrayed Pan", the older boy said over his should to the others.

"What are you doing man? These kids have families that want them." Henry said crossing his arms.

Felix looked around at all of the faces, "Those peoplewere trying to break our family up. Peter would have never stood for that. He would have fought to keep us all together."

Henry shook his head, "Peter Pan was not your family. He only used you all for his own selfish wants. Is this how Peter decided who ate and who didn't back in Neverland?" He asked pointing to the purse that was thrown on the ground.

"Peter taught us to be men, and men only get rewarded when they prove themselves" Felix said.

Henry turned to the littlest boy, "When you were with the foster family, did you eat every night?"

The little boy nodded his head, and Henry asked, "Where they good to you?"

Again the little boy nodded.

"Oh you can't ask him, he's an idiot", the older boy sneered.

Henry shook his head and looked around the stage at the boy's, "Why are you all with this clown?"

Felix whipped his head up and glared at everyone, who in return lowered their gaze to the floor.

The older boy looked at Henry, "You should learn to mind your own business."

"You mean like you did by stealing Pandora's Box?" Henry asked.

The boy looked confused, "How did you know about that?"

Henry clenched his fist, "Because of you a lot of people have been hurt."

Felix laughed, "What are you talking about, I didn't hurt anyone."

Henry stepped closer, "Your stupidity caused my mom to get hurt."

The older boy looked around the stage then back to Henry, "Oh right, I heard she was attacked by Robin Hood. Hey weren't the two of them a couple or some shit?"

"Be careful Felix." Henry warned.

"I was just wondering how it was rape if they were a couple. I mean if you're a couple you can't claim rape, right?" The older boy grinned.

Henry lunged forward hitting the older boy so hard that he flew back and fell to the floor, "These guys may be afraid of you, but I'm not."

Slowly the older boy climbed to his feet, "You're going to pay for that."

Felix ran forward tackling Henry to the floor, as he hit him in the mouth. The younger boy was so angry he was numb. He flipped their position to where Henry was now on top and he hit the older one again in the face.

This time Felix had to shake his head in attempt to get his bearings, but before he could Henry hit him again knocking him back. The older boy's eyes were glassy as he raised his head and Henry hit him again knocking him out cold.

Henry stood up a little unsteady. He wiped the blood from his newly busted lips and looked around at the other boys, "Is this how you want to live, where you have to fight for food and steal from people. He and Pan are not your families, but there are some people here in Story Brooke that wants you to be theirs."

A moan came from the boy on the ground. Henry shoved him with his foot, "Get up! You're coming with me." He grabbed the older boy by the arm and pulled him to his feet.

Felix yanked is arm back, "I'm not going anywhere with you."

"Yes you are." One of the other boys' said as they all stepped forward with threatening expressions. Felix swallowed, but said not thing.

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"I can't go through this again Emma. Where is he and why isn't he answering his phone?" Regina said as her eyes welled with tears for the millionth time that week.

Emma sighed, "It's only been a little over an hour, I'm sure he is fine." Regina gave a doubtful glare and Emma added, "But I will take a drive around town and see if I can find him."

The sound of the station door opening caused everyone to pause.

Regina stood up straight, "Henry?"

Henry walked around the corner and Regina gasped at his swollen lip, "What happ", her question died on her lips as she saw Felix round the corner with a black eye, bloody nose and busted lip, follow by seven other boys.

Henry gave a small smile, "I found Felix." He pointed to the older boy and a younger one shoved the older one forward, "He's not going to give you any problem."

The blonde looked at the older boy, "You said something about his mom, didn't you?"

The boy only scowled at her, as David took him by the arm and led him to the interrogation room.

Emma smiled on the inside at the little badass her son was becoming, but she would never let his mother know that. She looked at the remaining group of boys "So let me guess, you all are the reason that thefts have been happening around town?"

They all nodded and unison, but Emma wasn't sure what to do.

The littlest boy walked up to the sheriff and held up his wrist, "We know you have to arrest me."

Emma glanced over at Regina, then to Snow, and then back to the little boy, "What's your name?"

"Benny." He replied.

"Why would I arrest you?" Emma asked.

Benny looked up at the blonde with tears in his eyes, "Don't arrest them. They were only doing what Felix told them so they could eat. He told us that he would bring Peter back so we could all go back to Neverland."

Regina rush forward and bent down wrapping the child in her arms, "She is not going to arrest any of you."

Emma looked at the other boys, "Is that what all of you want, to go back to Neverland?"

They were all quiet for a second but then Benny said, "Not me. I liked having a mom, and a bed, and food. I was never hungry when I was at the foster family's house, and I didn't have to do anything for food." His eye lit up and he looked a Regina, "And one time I didn't pick up my toys and they still let me have supper."

Emma looked back at the older boys, "What about the rest of you? Do you want to continue fighting food, or do want a place where you will never go hungry and you will always be loved?"

"We want to stay", one of the boys said as the other's nodded in agreement.

Emma had personally inspected and ran extensive backgrounds on all of the foster parents, when the lost boys were brought back. Regina had given her a hard time about it, but of course she didn't know as much about the blonde back then.

Regina picked the littlest boy up and walked over to the phone, "How many of you remember the number of your foster parents?"

Several boys stood raised their hands, and she sat Benny down on the desk as she pick up the receiver, and then she point at one of the boys, "You first."

Emma walked towards the interrogation room, leaving Regina with all of the kids. She could tell the older woman had it handled.

As she entered the room, David said, "Tell her what you told me."

Felix rolled his eyes, but did as he was told, "I had one of the other boy's sneak into Mr. Gold's shop when he was on his honeymoon and take the box. The boys wanted to stay with those people and break up our family. They told me that they missed Peter, so I thought I would try and get him back, so I went to the warehouse to wait on the fairy to bring her bag of dust like she did every week when she would meet up to bang that bearded fellow, but I lost interest. Everyone said fairy dust some pretty potent stuff, but then I started thinking, why would I want Pan back when I could be the new leader?

They came in sooner than I thought and I accidently left the box on the ledge, when she threw her bag up it knock it down into the crates on the ground. Before I could grab it, they knocked the dust off and it went all over the box, but nothing happened, so I took it back before Gold knew it was missing."

Emma narrowed her gaze at the boy, "That's where you are wrong, because something did happen. The box mixed with fairy dust contaminated those crates of rum, which in turn was consumed. The mayor was severely hurt, two men died and everyone is still trying to clean up that mess."

He widened his eyes, "So it is my fault that the mayor was attacked?"

"You were the keystone my friend", She said.

He looked sincerely devastated, "What happens now?"

Emma ran her fingers through her hair, "How old are you, kid?"

"Seventeen," He said.

The sheriff looked at her father and then back at the kid, "Hold on a minute."

She got up and walked out of the room and hollered down the hallway, "Henry, can you come here a minute?"

Henry hurried down the hall, "Yeah, what's up?"

She gestured for him to enter the room, and he looked at her funny, but went in. Felix looked down at the ground automatically, and Emma asked, "So, we have a choice to make with the fate of Mr. Felix."

Henry looked at the other boy then by to his birth mother as she continued, "I can lock him up here, like a common criminal, or we can ship him off to juvenile hall until his eighteenth birthday. What do you think?"

The younger boy narrowed his eyes, "Then sends him to Juvenile hall, and let them deal with him."

Emma looked at her son, "Are you sure that's what you want?"

"Yeah", Henry said.

"Okay, then the choice is made, he stays with us until we can get him to the facility", she said.

Henry's eyebrows shot up, "What? He can't come home with us."

The older boy looked up with pleading eyes, "I can just stay here sheriff, there no need to go to all that trouble."

"I agree, let him stay here", Henry said.

David caught on to what was happening and hid his smile with his hand, "While you all continue discussing this matter, I believe I will excuse myself."

"The decision has been made." Emma said walking out of the room. The two boys were hot on her heels begging her, "Please don't do this!" Felix begged.

"Emma come on, this isn't fair", Henry said as they rounded the corner.

She spun around, "How is it not fair, you were the one that made the choice."

"It was a loaded choice; you didn't give me all of the information." Henry pouted.

Regina had made the last phone call as the trio caught her attention, "What's going on?"

"Emma has lost her mind, Mom, tell her he can't stay with us." Henry said pointing to the other boy.

"Yeah mayor, tell her I can just sleep in the cell", Felix looked mortified.

The mayor was speechless for a second, but she couldn't see the boy sleeping behind bars, she looked up at the blonde.

"I let Henry pick what would happen to Felix, and he choice to send him to juvenile hall. So I said he would stay with us until we could get him to the facility." Emma said with her hands in the pockets of her red leather jacket.

Regina tried to hide a smile. She didn't know if this plan would work, but she couldn't help but love the woman even more for her attempt.

"See mom, she tricked me." Henry whined.

"Sounds like the decision has been made to me" the mayor said.


	35. Chapter 35

Readers: I just want everyone to know that I changed things when it came to the pregnancy, because I was going to make the baby Robin's for sure, but I noticed that a lot of people went mad over that, so that's why I changed it to a magical baby. I know the story is supposed to be written from my own point of view, but I didn't want to upset anyone too badly, and I will make sure that the next time I write about Dr. Wales, I change it to Dr. Whale so that it is more accurate. Thank you to everyone who has been reading and for your awesome reviews, and hopefully you will all continue to read.

 **Chapter35**

All of the lost boys, excluding Felix, were safely returned to their foster families. All of the parents were given instructions to come back in the morning, to receive community service instruction for each boy; they all left happy knowing the kids were all right.

The car ride home was back to the mansion was intensely quiet. Both boys spend the ride staring out their windows as they faced away from each other. Regina watched them from the rear view mirror, but couldn't help feeling that this may not have been a good idea.

"So Felix, what grade are you in school", Regina asked?

The older boy looked up at her in the mirror, "When we got here, they said that they would have to give me some kind of test to know, but I didn't go."

"Why not?" She asked.

"Cause I had better things to do." He replied.

Henry snorted as he rolled his eyes still staring out the window with his arms cross over his chest, "Yeah, like committing crimes, because that is so much better." Henry said sarcastically.

The older boy glanced over at him, but didn't reply, instead, he looked back out his window and said, "Besides, I don't have any clothes and some of the other kids were giving me a hard time."

Henry didn't look at him, but for a moment he felt for the other boy. He knew better than anyone what it was like to get teased over things he had no control over. After a few seconds he remembered he was supposed to be mad at the boy, so he concentrated on that.

Regina looked over at Emma, who returned the look and smiled, "Well, we will have to remedy that, won't we?" The mayor said.

They pulled into the drive way and the brunette killed the car. Henry had exited quickly and made it into the house before any of the other three could even open their doors. The two women got out and Emma walked over to Felix's door and opened, she saw that he was in no hurry to get out.

The blonde looked at Regina, "We will come inside in a minute."

The queen gave her lover a skeptical look, but nodded and then walked inside.

The teen crossed his arms and slammed himself into the car as he leaned back. Emma could tell he was trying to look tough in front of her.

"Give it a rest kid. You don't have any other choices." She said.

"You know I will just runaway as soon as you guys turn your back." Felix hissed.

Emma ran her fingers through her hair, "Really? I wouldn't suggest that."

The teen narrowed his eyes, "Why's that? You will throw me in jail?"

"Kid, you do realize where you are?" She asked.

"Yeah at the Savior's house", He sneered rolling his eyes.

She clinched her jaw, "This isn't my house, its Regina Mills AKA The Evil queen's house."

Almost as if his memory has suddenly come back he was unable to hide the fear that flashed across his face for a brief moment. He then put his jerk persona back on, "So what? She won't do anything to me."

His attitude was riding on the blonde's nerves so she couldn't resist adding to the boys fear even if it were slightly fabricated, "Let me put it this way, if at any point during the night, you decide to reach for a window, or door, you may want to rethink it. Regina put a spell on all doors and window, and if you decide to brave it, you could get electrocuted and if you don't die, you may lose which ever limb you used to touch it." At first he seem to not believe but as she continued his eye widened, "Why do you think Henry is such a good kid, she had to magically repair one hands, when the light hits it just right, you can still see the burn marks."

With his eyes wide with fear he asked, "She did that to her own kid?"

"Hey, it a tough world we live in, we got to toughen him up somehow." Emma said fighting a smiled as she grabbed his arm to lead him into the house. Before she turned the door knob, she whispered to him, "I wouldn't say anything to Henry about it. He is still a little sensitive on the subject."

The teen only nodded as they entered the house.

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Regina stood in Henry's bedroom with the door closed. She needed her son to lend the other boy some sleep wear.

"I'm not giving him anything!" Henry said rather loudly.

"Henry Mills, lower your voice. He doesn't have anything, you can loan him some shorts and a clean shirt at least." She said with her hands on her hips. "I am surprised at you. This isn't like you."

"He is a criminal, and Emma brought him to our house, what if he steals something?" Henry said replacing his arms over his chest.

"Henry, Emma said this would only be until we could get him to the juvenile hall, but they don't deal with new kids until Wednesdays, so he is here until then. And since we are on the subject, if you want to get technical, Emma and I are criminals too." She said.

Henry huffed, but turned yanking open his dresser and pulling out a pair of basketball shorts and a t-shirt. He slammed the drawer closed and handed the clothes to his mother. The younger teen sighed, and then turned and opened a different drawer retrieving a pair of boxers, "Here." Regina could see that her son was fighting with his conscience or he would have never given the underwear. But to make sure his mother knew he still didn't agree with the situation, he added, "You can burn those clothes when he's done with them."

"Thank you." She said as she turned and left his room.

She somewhat knew what Emma was trying to do with Felix, but at the same time she wasn't fully sure. She was a little worried that whatever it was, it may not work.

Regina headed down the stairs as Emma and Felix entered. The teen had an odd look on his face as she descended the stairs, but when he saw her she could she fear. It had been a while since someone had looked at her like that.

Emma stopped in the entry way as did the teen, "Everything is going to go smoothly tonight, isn't it Felix?"

The boy's eyes never left the mayor, "Yeah… I mean yes ma'am."

Regina raised an eye brow to his response, "I'm glad." She smiled at Felix, but he only stared at her like scared prey caught in the lion's sights. She looked at Emma, "You can show him the guest room, and where the bathroom is," She passed the boy the clothes she was holding, "I am going to start dinner."

She stopped at the doorway to the kitchen and turned to watch the other two go up the stairs. As she watched, the boy turn back and jumped when he saw she was watching them. She bit her cheek, and then narrowed her eyes; she was going to have to interrogate the blonde to see what she said to the boy while they were outside.

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Emma led the teenager to the guest room. Regina kept the room ready for guest, which Emma couldn't decide rather she felt sad or if she just thought it was weird that the queen made up a guest room. It's not like anyone had ever been her house guest before the blonde.

"This is your room." Emma said, and then she told him to follow her, which he did.

They walked a little ways down the hallway to the bathroom, "This is your first stop kid, because you need to shower. Everything you need is in there. Towels are in that cabinet she pointed.

"I know you are from a different world and all, but this is underarm deodorant", She picked up an unopened stick from the counter and took the lid off, "You rub it under your arms, it saves the rest of us from having to smell you." She pretended to apply it to show him how it was used.

He nodded and she left him, shutting the door behind her. She noticed Henry standing in his door way watching her. She thought maybe he wanted to talk or something, but before she had time to move, he rolled his eyes and slammed his door.

She sighed and then went down stairs to see if Regina needed help with dinner. Emma hoped her plan would work. Henry wasn't giving in very much on this, but she figured it would just take a little time. Regina had said that she would pick up his folder from child services so that they had a little information about him, since he wasn't sharing much.

Regina was placing a large pot filled with water on the stove as the sheriff came into the kitchen. Emma couldn't help but think or how perfect and normal it felt to see the queen cooking dinner for all of them. She liked the domestic feel it brought, and realized she had never had that before.

The mayor turned around to collect the jar of spaghetti sauce she left sitting on the island, when she noticed Emma, and the sweet smiled that was on her face, "What is that look for?"

The blonde walked over to her and gently grabbed her by the hips pulling her closer, "You are beautiful."

The brunette rolled her eyes, but smiled back, "Thank you, I am glad that you think so." She reached up and kissed the other woman's lips lightly, then pushed away to continue cooking.

Emma asked, "Is there anything I can do?"

"You can set the table", Regina said.

Emma went to the cabinet nearest the mayor and started pulling out plates.

The brunette looked over at her, "Emma, what are you doing?"

Emma stopped and looked back at her confused, "Getting plates."

"No. That's not what I am talking about. I'm talking about with Felix." The queen said adding the uncooked pasta to the now boiling water.

The blonde continued gathering the plates and silverware, "I think he is a kid that has had a rough go at life. I thought that if he could feel kindness and see what a family should feel like, he might be more willing to bend on other aspects and choices he makes in his life."

Regina turned back to the stove to stir the sauce, but didn't say anything. Emma could see she was thinking, but thought it would be best to let her be for now and finish setting the table.

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He couldn't believe his mothers were doing this to him. Had they forgotten what happened in Neverland? He knew that was mostly because of Peter Pan, he did witness Felix doing the same thing with the other lost boys' only hours before. He was no longer going to stand by and watch other get bullied and he sure as hell wasn't going to be bullied any more.

He had wanted to take a shower too, but when he had headed for the shower, what did he see, Emma, treating Pan JR. like he was Prince Sheba. Now he would have to wait until the kid was finished to take a shower. This same kid also was talking crap about his mom.

"Henry, Felix? Dinners ready", He heard Emma call from the bottom of the stairs.

He rolled his eyes again, sighed and opened the door. It looked as though Felix had opened the bathroom door, but had yet come out or descend the stair.

Henry waited until Felix walked out of the bathroom dressed in the younger boy's clothes. The older teen looked at him nervously, but Henry walked to the stairs and then looked back, "Dinner is down stairs, you know?"

Felix rubbed his palms together and walked closer to the stairs, "They are going to let me eat?"

Henry narrowed his eyes in confusion, "Why wouldn't they?"

The older boy looked down not wanting to meet Henry's eyes, "Because of tonight and everything else."

The younger boy remembered when Benny was telling his mom about how his foster family always gave him food even when he was bad. Henry's features softened a little, "Dude, you won't go hungry while you're here; I can assure you of that."

The other boy lifted his eyes and smiled, but when he saw that Henry did not share in his happiness over this news, he let the expression fall. Henry just shook his head and started down the stairs calling behind him, "Come on."

Emma was placing bread on the table as Regina was bringing the two teens a glass of milk to set by their plates. Henry went to his claimed chair, and his two mothers' took their seats.

He noticed that Felix had stopped at the door, "Are you coming, man? For someone who was worried rather they would eat or not, you sure don't act hungry."

His mother looked at him and then to the teen in the doorway. Regina said, "Come on Felix, sit down before your food gets cold."

Henry watched the other boys and he seemed to act as though he had just been commanded by some monstrous beast, because after his mother had spoken, the older boy's eyes widened and he hurried over to his chair. He glances at his two mothers', and his adoptive mother had the same expression as he did, but when his eye landed on Emma, she was trying to hide a smile. He knew she was up to something. He just didn't what it was.

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Everyone had finished dinner, and the boy's went up to their rooms. Emma had helped her clear the table and load the dish washer. Regina had planned to take Henry with her to pick out some clothes for Felix as a surprise in the morning, while Emma would bring the older teen to the station with her to assign him community service.

Emma walked up to Regina and pulled her against her chest, "How are you feeling, Miss. Mills?"

Regina let her head fall onto the blonde's shoulder and sighed, "Right now, tired?"

Emma couldn't help but feel guilty for the pregnancy. She knew that had she not magically changed the child, it would be Robin's, but she didn't like how fast Regina was having to deal with this as a first time parent, or at least the first time carrying a baby. All she knew for sure was that this pregnancy was going to be tricky.

The blonde suddenly had a disturbing thought, "Our baby isn't going to grow this fast once they come out, are they?" She really didn't mean to ask that question out loud, but she did.

Regina raised her head and looked up, "I-I don't think so. Oh god Emma, why did you have to think that?" The brunette pushed away from her lover and went towards her study.

Emma followed behind, cursing herself silently for letting that thought out, "What are you doing?"

Regina picked up the phone and started dialing a number, "Rumple."

Emma watched the other woman who now looked as though she were sweating. The sheriff had placed a new worry in her mind and until she got answers, she knew she wouldn't let it go.

"I need favor", the brunette said into the receiver. The blonde could tell she was listening to whatever the man was saying on the other end.

"I don't have time for jokes Rumble, will you help me or not?" She seemed to be getting annoyed.

"Thank you", she said a little sarcastic and then continued, "As I am sure you are already aware, I am pregnant." She paused for the man to speak and then said, "Thank you, and yes it is Emma's". The way her voice kept stopping, Emma could tell Gold must keep interrupting, "Yes it is accelerated. Look Rumple I called because I need to find out if this baby will grow at a normal rate once it is born."

Regina held the receiver with one arm while the other was held tight to her abdomen. The worry was apparent from the look on her face and the and dark circles were starting to form beneath her eyes, "Please hurry, by the way things are going I will have this baby, months before it would be due."

The blonde watched as the other woman hang up the phone. She walked to her desk chair and sat down closing her eyes, "I can't do this Emma." She blew out a breath of air as a tear slipped down her cheek.

Emma was quick to stand in front of the other woman and she knelt, "It will be okay."

Regina opened her eyes and glared through her watery eyes, "Will you stop saying that? How is this going to be okay, Emma? I am ten weeks pregnant, when I only got pregnant a little over a week ago. I don't know what I am supposed to do, the baby is growing too fast, and I don't even get to experience a normal pregnancy. What if something goes wrong?"

The blonde was surprised at the queen's tone at her, but let it fade away quickly. She knew what it was like being pregnant and feeling all of the different emotions due to hormones. She couldn't blame her, but like her lover, she too wished this was a normal pregnancy, "Look, I know you are scared and over whelmed, but I know we will get through this." She somewhat regretted saying the, 'we' part right before it came out."

"We? I am the one who is pregnant not you." Regina raised her voice.

Emma would have normally walked away after a moment like that, but she was trying to do better. She knew it was the hormones jacking her love up, so she closed her eyes for a second and said, "Your right. Your pregnant after a very horrible situation and I'm sorry, but what are 'we'", the blonde emphasized and then said, "going to do about it? Rather it is you who is pregnant or not, I say 'we', because I will be here right beside you the whole way. We are in this together."

Regina's let her tears fall more freely as she stared at the woman in front of her, she didn't say anything but as she leaned in to put her arms around the other woman, she let out a sob.

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Henry threw his covers off with a huff. He had been having trouble staying asleep all night, and just when he drifts off, he has to pee. Looking at his alarm clock, he sighs, it was one in the morning and he knew he was not going to want to get up in a few hours.

He stood up and rubbed his eyes before quietly opening his bedroom door. He tiptoed down the hall towards to the bathroom when he caught a glimpse of something out of the corner of his eye down the stairs.

Turning his head he could see Felix sitting at the bottom staring straight ahead. It was a little creepy. Henry thought at first that he would go use the bathroom and then go back to bed, ignoring the other teen, but curiosity had to be his kryptonite.

The younger boy quietly walked halfway down the step, when he could see the other boy was staring at the door. For a second, Henry thought he had missed something, so he sat down and began searching the door with his eyes to see if he could find what ever had captivated the other teen.

Henry couldn't see anything so he asked, "What are we looking at?"

Felix gasped jumping up, almost tripping as he did, "Crap dude, you scared me."

The younger boy stayed in his position, with his eyes on the door, "What were you looking at?"

"N-Nothing." Felix said nervously.

Henry moved his eyes to meet the older boys, "Nothing? You were sure staring hard at the door."

The lost boy scratched the back of his neck, "I was just zoning, as your world likes to say." He was now looking at Henry's hands.

The younger boy glanced down to see if something was on his hands, but didn't notice anything, "What are you looking at now?"

"N-Nothing." Felix stuttered again.

Henry looked at the other boy with suspicion, "Man your weird." He stood realizing that he really needed to pee soon or he was going to have to explain a puddle to his mothers. The younger teen stood to go back up the stairs leaving Felix standing at the bottom staring back towards the door.

Reader: Chapter 36 will be posted either tonight or tomorrow.


	36. Chapter 36

**Chapter36**

Regina awoke to the alarm clock, and noticed she was alone. She looked over to Emma's side of the bed and saw a note on the pillow. Grabbing it she rubbed her eyes so that she could read it, 'Good morning gorgeous. Felix and I are going to get an early start today, I made coffee and I hope you have a great day. I can't wait to see you, I love you.' Regina took notice at how beautiful Emma's penmanship was as she smiled like a love sick teen.

Climbing out of the bed, she made her way to the bathroom for a shower. She started unbuttoning her silk pajama top as she walked into the large master bath. The brunette let the material fall to the floor. It wasn't typical of her to do that, but for whatever reason she didn't care at the moment.

She wiggled out of her bottoms and underwear letting them pool at her feet. As she passed the full length mirror she stopped abruptly and slowly turned her head toward her reflection. To her bewilderment, her belly was pooched out. Compared to last night, there was a substantial difference. Regina noticed that her breast looked larger and her nipples seemed to stick out more.

The queen cupped her breast in amazement and noticed how sore and dark colored her nipples they were. She sighed letting out a shaky breath.

She was dreaming right? She asked herself. She had often, throughout her life, thought about what it would be like to be pregnant and have a baby. The brunette even remembered regretting casting the barren spell after she had married Leopold; she had felt so alone in that castle, she would have done anything to feel loved. Her mother was probably laughing from her grave at her current predicament.

Regina continued with her original plan of showering and figured she would call Dr. Whale when she got out. She hoped he knew something and that everything was all right.

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Emma and Felix had arrived at the station a little after six and relieved Fredrick. They had stopped by Granny's for coffee and bear claws. The blonde noticed how surprised the boy had seemed when she bought the second bear claw and passed it to him.

At the station she made him sit in a chair near her desk to eat his breakfast. He had thanked her several times before they had made it into the building. She remembered what it was like not knowing where your next meal was going to come from. She had gone to sleep hungry more times than she could count. She sat down behind her desk and pulled out her own bear claw.

Ruby was the next to enter. She was carrying a bag from Granny's and a cup of coffee, "Morning Em."

Emma smiled, "Morning Ruby."

The blonde noticed the teen's demeanor change when he saw the waitress enter. His cheeks flushed and he sat up straight. He suddenly looked embarrassed or something similar. Emma smiled to herself.

Ruby sat down behind the other desk and started unpacking her bag. She pulled out a dozen doughnuts, and sat them on the edge of the desk. She then pulled out a styrofoam container. Opening it, Emma could see it was a big breakfast. There were eggs, bacon, sausage, pancakes, and what appeared to be potatoes.

"Wow Ruby, that's a lot of food", the blonde said as she watched the other woman stab a piece of sausage with her plastic fork and then placed it into her mouth. She chewed a few times, and then said, "Wolves have to eat a lot, and we have fast metabolisms."

Emma laughed letting her eyes fall back on the boy who looked confused at the waitress' comment. She asked, "You didn't know that Ruby was a werewolf?"

He swallowed the last bite of his food and shook his head, "I thought werewolves were all hairy and nasty looking."

Ruby smiled, "Nope, I only have hair when I change, and I like to think my wolf self is very attractive too." She winked at the teen.

The boy swallowed hard enough that the two women heard him and red crept up his neck making its way to his cheeks. Even the scar that ran from his forehead down diagonally across his face ending at the bottom half of his right cheek seemed to change colors.

Emma started to tease the boy about the blush, but then thought better of it, if she wanted this kid to trust her, making fun of him wasn't going to make it happen.

She turned to look at Ruby, "Who all is on the roster for accepting community service volunteers."

Felix snorted at the volunteer part, but Ruby replied to the question, "The convent, Granny, Belle, us here at the station and the mayor."

Emma took note as she wrote the information down on a piece of paper. Without saying anything she picked up the phone and dialed the convent, to ask what kind of work they would be in need of so that she could decide which of the children were more suited for which placement. She then called the rest of the places on the list except Regina. She already knew where she would place Felix.

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Henry had dressed and brushed his teeth as he looked at his reflection in the mirror. Grabbing his comb, he pulled it through his bed head to calm it down to at least look halfway presentable. He had one piece of hair that refused to go down, even after he put water on it. He gave up and exited the bathroom.

"Yes, I am certain that the baby has grown over night." He heard his mother's voice coming from down stairs.

He slowly walked down the stairs and listened, "I cannot put on any of my pants doctor." His mother said sounding annoyed.

When he reached the bottom of the stairs, he realized his mother was in the study, "It is impossible for me to come in at this moment, I have things I need to do. Can't you just tell me if everything is okay?" She asked.

Henry turned to the study doorway and saw his mother standing with her back to him, "No I am not feeling any pain, other than a head ache and tender breast."

He took a couple of steps closer, but then stopped. She said into the receiver, "I understand doctor, and as soon as I talk to Emma, I will let you know."

He watched her place the receiver down and he heard her sigh, "Mom? Are you okay?"

She straightened her back, but didn't turn around. Henry was starting to get worried until she said, "I'm not sure."

He could hear the unsteadiness in her voice, "Who was on the phone?" He asked.

"Dr. Whale. I was worried and gave him a call."

She slowly turned to face her son and he gasped at the swell in her belly. Henry saw the fear and sadness in his mother's eyes and he knew his reaction hadn't been the best so he said, "Wow, mom." He walked up to her and started to place his hand on her stomach, but then stopped and looked up at her, "May I?"

Her eyes were watering up and she nodded, "Of course."

Henry put his hand on her stomach, "It's probably too soon to feel the baby move, huh?"

He genuinely felt excited about being a big brother. He wanted this baby to seal his family together too. He was hoping that if his moms had a baby together that they would want to be together officially.

"I don't know, but I would think not", she said as she wiped her eye.

"This baby is going to be so lucky." He said smiling as he leaned his head down and placed his ear on his mother's stomach.

"How so?" She asked.

He smiled up at her, "Because they are going to have the best brother around, not to mention cutest."

His adoptive mother laughed making him feel glad that she seemed happier.

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The parents arrived with the kids around eight. After placing each kid with the appropriate place, she let out a breath of air. It was nearly lunch time, and the station was almost silent after the last kid left.

She stretched and yawned. A nap sounded lovely, but the thought was jolted out of her mind when Felix said, "So what about me?"

She looked over at him, "You have two locations my friend."

"What? How is that fair?" He asked dramatically standing up.

Emma shook her head, "You will be assisting me here at the station and the mayor if she needs it."

He huffed and sat back down, "So I have to eat, sleep and breathe you."

The sheriff leaned back in her chair with her feet on the desk and her arms behind her head, "That's right kid." She smiled, "On the upside, you will get to see the lovely deputy Lucas more." Ruby had run to Granny's to grab everyone some lunch.

His eyes snapped up to her, she could tell that he hadn't thought of that, trying to seem unaffected, "So what do you want me to do so I can get this over with."

"First thing you are going to do is clean those cells, from top to bottom", she said.

"Seriously? You want me to be the jail maid?" He said in a higher than manly pitch.

"What did you think I would have you do while you were here kid? Help catch bad guys?" Emma asked sarcastically.

The blonde's phone went off and she answered, "Sheriff Swan?"

"Busy day?" She heard her lover's voice ask.

Emma smiled, "Not now, looks like the worst past has been wrapped up. What's up?"

She could hear the hesitation in Regina's voice, "I was going to go to the hospital for another checkup and ultrasound around three o'clock and wanted to know if you could make?"

The sheriff knew having another checkup so soon wasn't necessary but she also knew how worried and upset the brunette had been, "Yeah, of course I'll be there. I wouldn't miss it for the world."

"Okay then I'll see you there. I love you", Regina said sounding relieved.

"Yep, I love you too." She said before hanging up the phone. Was the older woman really afraid she wouldn't be there? Emma tried to remember how crazy her hormones were when she was pregnant and she sighed. She wished she could do something to ease the brunettes mind, but until the hormones calmed down, there was nothing she could do.

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Regina slipped her phone back into her purse as she waited in the shoe department for Henry to pick out shoes for him and Felix. Her son needed a new pair of sneakers as well and it only made since to let him pick out both pair. She figured he was a better judge of what was cool for teenagers than she was, being that he was one.

She felt a weird fluttering in her stomach and decided she should sit down, and a dull aching in her back. What the hell was happening to her?

"Okay mom." Henry said with a smile, "These I chose for me", he held up a pair of blue and red sneakers, "And these are for Pan JR." He held up a pair of black Chucks.

"Henry, please don't call him that, his name is Felix." She said holding her head wishing the pain would go away.

"I was only kidding mom." He said putting the shoe into the cart.

She stood up slowly feeling a little light headed, but held onto the cart for stability. Looking over into the basket, she took a mental inventory of its contents, "Is this everything he will need, and please tell me you are choosing clothes for him with bias's set aside."

Henry rolled his eyes, "I may not like him, but I wouldn't let him dress funny since he is staying with us, and yes this is all he needs."

She knew her son had the biggest heart of anyone she had ever met, she knew whatever his issue with Felix was it would mend itself if given enough time. Another flutter happened in her stomach and this time she knew it was the baby moving. How was that even possible? She was feeling so stressed.

Regina was feeling like she couldn't breath and was gasping for air. Her body was feeling numb and before she could think more on it, everything went black.

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Henry saw his mother's face drain of all color, and before he knew what was going on, she was falling. He reached out as quickly as he could and caught her in his arms before she hit the floor, he struggled to hold her up, "Mom!" He called out, but she didn't respond.

He looked around the clothing store, and saw Belle, "Belle!" He yelled getting her attention.

She started running towards him when she realized who it was.

Once she was next to him she asked, "Henry, what happened?"

"I don't know. We were talking about the clothes in the cart and then she just passed out." He said panicked.

The Aussie could see the prominent swell in her midsection, and she gasped in surprise at just how fast the pregnancy was moving along, "Hold on let me call for help." Belle said pulling out her phone and walking away to speak.

Henry was still struggling to stay on his feet with his unconscious mother in his arms. He did know what had happened but he was very worried. He didn't want anything to happen to his mom or the baby. If the baby was hurting his mom, then he would have to be honest and say he would choose his mother, but he hoped it wouldn't come to that.

No sooner did Belle pull the cell from her ear, Henry's grandfather appeared. He walked over to Henry and took Regina in his arms, one went around her waist and the other under her knees and lifted her up, "Go with Belle and she will get you to the hospital, you can meet us there."

Henry nodded and watched his mother and Rumpelstiltskin disappear into a cloud of smoke. Belle rushed to his side, "You can call your other mother on the way."

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She had been watching the clock like a hawk after Regina had called her. She wanted to be there for her…Regina, but she also didn't want to let her down. It was only a little after one, so she still had some waiting to do.

Ruby had brought lunch for them over an hour ago. She couldn't help but laugh remembering before the waitress returned, Felix had been whining about cleaning the cells, but as soon as the wolf walks in, he is suddenly Mr. Clean.

She had expected her father in this morning, but he had called in. He had told Ruby that they had gotten baby Neal his vaccinations yesterday and then was up all night with a very sick infant. She was a little nervous about that part of parenting.

Her phone rang and she answered, "Sheriff Swan?"

"Emma, it's mom, she's in the hospital." Henry said.

"What? Why? What happened?" She asked loudly as she stood up so quickly it flipped her chair over causing a loud crash that echoed through the station.

"I don't know. She just passed out, and Gold teleported her to the hospital and Belle and I are on the way now." He said, and she could hear the worry in his voice.

"I'm on my way." She said before hanging up.

She grabbed her jacket off the back of her chair and headed for the door.

Felix jogged after her, "Where are you going?"

"Regina got taken to the hospital." She said still walking.

"I'm going with you", the boy said. She didn't have time to argue so she didn't say anything and allowed him to follow.

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Regina opened her eyes to bright white lights overhead. She had to blink a few to times to let her sensitive eyes adjust. For a very quick moment she thought she had died and suddenly seen the white light everyone keeps talking about, and then rolled her eyes at herself when she realized she was in fact very much alive.

"You gave a scare there dearie", Rumple said beside her.

She turned her head to look at him, "Where am I?"

"The hospital. You passed out while you and Henry were shopping." He explained as he shifted from one foot to the other.

"Did an ambulance bring me?" She asked.

The man laughed, "No, Dearie, I did."

She had more questions for the man, but suddenly she remembered the baby and panicked grabbing her stomach.

Gold reached out and put his hand over hers, "Calm down, the baby's fine."

She sighed and closed her eyes. Why was this happening to her? She was happy about being pregnant, but not like this, she literally felt like her emotions as well as her body were on a rollercoaster.

"Mom!" Henry called from the doorway causing her to open her eyes and look at him.

"I'm all right honey." She gave a small smiled.

Belle was close behind him and they both reached the bed. The Aussie went to her husband's side, "How are you feeling?" She asked.

Regina looked up into the other woman's kind eyes, "Better, I guess. I'm not really sure."

Rumple smiled at both of the women, "Well if all is well here, I really should be getting back to the shop. I hope you feel better Regina."

As he turned to leave, the mayor reached out and caught his arm. He turned and looked at her.

"Thank you." She smiled.

He smiled back but said nothing, then disappeared in the same purple smoke that Regina was known for.

Emma opened the door and walked through looking very worried and nervous. Felix was behind her with a similar expression. She walked up to the bed, "What happened?" She asked before leaning over and pulling the other woman close.

"I passed out when Henry and I were shopping for Felix." She whispered.

She didn't realize the boy was standing there before she spoke. His eyes went wide with surprise and then went sad. He slowly turned to walk out of the room.

"Wait, Felix where are you going?" She asked.

Emma rose up and looked in his direction. She was taken back by the sadness that was on his face.

The older teen looked down at the floor and said, "This is a family thing, I'll just wait out in the hall."

"You can stay if you want." Regina said trying to sound as inviting as she could.

"Nah, I'll just wait outside." He turned slowly and walked out with his head hanging down.

Regina felt sad for the boy and she didn't even know why exactly. Her eyes found Henry's. He looked back at her for a minute and then rolled his eyes, "Fine, I'll go see what is wrong with him."

She smiled at her son, realizing she had just shared her own little telepathic moment with their son, "Thank you."

Henry gave a thin lipped smile and headed out the door.

"What did the doctor say about the baby?" Emma asked.

"I haven't seen the doctor yet, but Rumple told me the baby was fine." She said.

"But you are all right?" Belle asked.

Regina nodded her head, "Yes I am now, thank you."

The librarian smiled, "Of course. I'm headed out, but if you need anything, please don't hesitate to call me."

The mayor smiled and nodded in agreement. The Aussie turned and walked out leaving Emma and Regina alone. Perfect timing it would seem because the doctor walked in pushing an ultrasound machine.

"Miss. Mill, Sheriff." The doctor greeted.

"Is the baby all right?" Regina blurted out.

He smiled, "Yes the baby is doing well. It appears it is growing faster than I thought." He said as he pushed her gown up.

Emma's eyes were in shock and her mouth gaped open when she saw her lovers belly, "Whoa, when did this happen?"

Regina was worried that the blonde was going to be freaked out, she said, "I woke up to it this morning."

The sheriff closed her mouth and reached over placing her hand on the queen's abdomen. The blonde's response almost made a sob escape Regina's throat. She had expected the younger woman to leave due to all of this abnormality. Hell she felt like she wanted to run.

As Emma removed her hand, Dr. Whale squeezed out some gel onto the brunette's stomach, and then pressed the wand against the skin there. He slowly moved the wand around.

Regina felt the blonde interlock their fingers together, and let out a silent breath of air.

"Before we get too far, are you two wanting to know the sex of the baby?" Dr. Whale asked.

"I thought I had to be at least fifteen weeks before you could tell the sex." The brunette said.

"That is correct, but Miss. Mills you are closer to about twenty weeks." He said.

For a brief moment, she thought she would pass out. She didn't know what to say. The baby would definitely be here soon if she was already halfway through her pregnancy.

Emma looked down at Regina and got her attention, "Do we want to know what we are having?"

The mayor swallowed the lump in her throat at the love she was feeling from the woman beside, and she was overwhelmed with interest the younger woman was taking in the baby, "Yes. One question, would you rather a girl or a boy?" She asked the sheriff.

Emma smiled and kissed her on the lips before she said, "As long as it and its mother are healthy, I don't care."

Regina let out a small sob, but smile, and then looked at the doctor, "All right, tell us."

The doctor looked back at the screen while moving the wand around, "You are having", He paused as he squinted his eyes, "A little boy."

Emma's smile was big, "Another boy, awesome."

Regina laughed. She felt so happy in this moment.

The doctor printed out two copies of the ultrasound, for both mothers and then told Regina, "Now, you are going to have to take it easy Miss. Mills. The baby is growing fast, but healthy, however, it can take its toll on your body very quickly. Your only saving grace is that you have magic that is protecting you and helping to feed the baby."

Emma looked up at him, "Can't I give him some of my magic so he doesn't constantly drain hers?"

"That may be possible, but I would speak to Blue about it first, she would know more about that than me." He said as he rolled up the cord to the machine and left the room.

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Henry saw Felix round the corner towards the waiting room. When the younger boy came around the corner he saw the older one sit down in a chair. He walked to the chair next to him and sat down, "What's up with you?"

Felix looked up, "What? You following me now?"

Henry rolled his eye, "Shut up. What upset you in the room back there?"

"I don't know what you're talking about", the older boy said looking down.

Henry shook his head and stood up irritated, "I'm trying to talk to you like a human and you keep putting up this front, I give up." He started to walk away when he heard the other teen ask so quietly he almost didn't hear him, "What was Miss. Mills talking about that you two where shopping for me when she passed out?"

Henry sighed, then turned toward him, "We were buying you new clothes for school. She wanted to do something nice for you."

He ran his hand through his shaggy long hair, "So it's because of me that she is here?"

Henry looked confused for a second, and then said, "No man, she passed out because the baby is growing too fast. It didn't have anything to do with you."

The boy looked up at the younger teen, "You don't blame me?"

"What? No. I may not like you that much, but I'm not going to blame you for something I know wasn't your fault." Henry said.

The relief was evident on the older boy's face. Henry could see that somewhere beneath the Pan bullshit, this kid was probably a really good person. He just hoped it wasn't buried too deep.

"Come on, let's go check on my mom", Henry said.

The older boy looked shocked but he quickly got to his feet and followed the darker haired boy. Henry was glad now that he had told the store clerk to hold the clothes until he came back for them later.

Both boys walked into Regina's room. Emma and her were holding hands and it looked like his mom had been crying, "What wrong?" He asked.

His adoptive mom answered, "Nothing sweetheart, these are happy tears."

Happy tears? He was never going to understand woman. They were more complicated than anything he could ever imagine.

Emma looked at him, "Do you want to know what the sex is?"

"You don't have a preference, do you?" His older mother asked.

He glanced over at Felix and then back to his mother's, "I will except either if they are healthy, but I really hope it is a boy."

Regina looked at him with curiosity, "Why do you hope it's a boy?"

Henry sighed, "No Offense, but I can't deal with another girl."


	37. Chapter 37

Readers: I am sorry for disappointing some of you by making the baby a boy, but every other magic baby story I have read made the baby a girl, I just thought I would be a little different.

 **Chapter37**

The doctor had discharged Regina not long after the ultrasound was finished. She had taken Felix with her and left Henry with Emma. He said he wanted to be with her when she talked to Mother Superior.

He had talked non-stop since he got into the cruiser, about his baby brother. Emma could see how excited he was and it made her smile. She was glad that he didn't have a problem with the baby because she knew that would just make matters worse, not to mention break Regina's heart.

Henry stopped talking and for a minute, the blonde thought she might get a little break, but then he asked, "What are you really doing with Felix, Emma?"

Emma glanced over at her son then back to the road, "Look kid, I know you don't like him, but he doesn't have anyone else. I wish someone would have made an effort with me when I was his age." She chanced another glance at her son and could see he was watching her with interest, "I mean I know he has done a lot of bad stuff, but everyone deserves a second change, don't they?"

He looked out his window, "I guess."

The car pulled up to the convent and she put it into park, and then turned to Henry, "If you think about this rationally, I know you would agree with me."

The teen sighed and said, "I do agree, it's just that I have a hard time forgetting what a big bully he was. He always has to act tough when he's around people and gets on my nerves."

"It's what some people do when they are scare." She said.

"Like who?" He asked.

"Like me, your mom, your dad, we have all done it at one point or another. I just think some people hold on to it longer because they don't feel they have anything else to hold onto." A silent tear fell from her eye while nostalgia took over, and she quickly wiped it away hoping the boy didn't see it.

He stayed quiet, so Emma got out of the car, closing the door behind her as Henry did the same. Once they were at the doors of the convent she knocked loudly.

The door opened a short time after the knock and Astrid stood to greet them. He eyes grew larger when she had seen the blonde, "Sheriff Swan."

Emma blushed herself remembering what she had seen the nun AKA fairy doing in the warehouse with Leroy, "Hey, Astrid, we, umm, need to see Blue."

The fairy failed at hiding her own blush and refused to look the sheriff in the eyes, instead she said, "Follow me." She turned to walk away while Emma and Henry followed.

When they got to the office at the end of the corridor, Astrid looked in, "Mother Superior? The sheriff is here to see you."

Blue looked up and gave somewhat of a smile towards the other two, "Thank you Astrid, you may go."

Emma could see the younger fairy's face and it showed her relief to be out of the blonde's presents.

Blue waited a moment until the other fairy's footsteps faded into the distance, and then turned to look at Emma, "What can I do for you sheriff?"

The blonde was suddenly nervous, "Dr. Whale said that the baby Regina is pregnant with is feeding off of her magic and draining her energy because of the speed in which he is growing."

"So she is having a boy?" Blue asked.

"Yeah, anyways, I wanted to know if there was a way to feed my magic to the baby to stop him from being too hard on Regina." She said.

The fairy walked to her desk and sat down in the chair. "I have been searching through the archives and I found only one document that pertained to this situation."

Emma looked over at Henry then back to the nun, "What did it say."

Mother Superior pulled open her desk drawer and withdrew a piece of parchment paper, "Well, Let's see here." Emma watched the other woman's eyes move along the words on the paper, "The baby was created with both light and dark magic." She took her finger and ran it along the paper as she read, "If the child is feeding from one magic more than the other it may lean more towards that type of magic."

Emma eye brows shot up, "So he is going to be mainly dark?"

The fairy glanced up quickly and then looked back at the paper she was holding, "No sheriff. Regina also has light magic; this is probably why the baby is draining her so much, he is feeding from her light magic, if he fed more from her dark magic, it wouldn't affect her so much." Blue looked at Emma, "How far a long did the doctor say she was?"

"About twenty weeks", Emma said.

The fairy scratched her head, "And when did she get pregnant?"

The blonde felt a little uneasy with her son next to her. She looked at him and sighed, looking back at the woman, "Umm, like eight or nine days ago." Her cheeks burned with a blush.

She winced and looked back at Henry who acted unaffected.

"You are going to have to use your healing magic on the baby. This will not slow things down, but it will definitely help relieve Regina of some of her pains and discomforts." Blue said.

Emma stepped closer to the desk, "What about after the baby is born? Will he grow this quickly too?"

"Not at all, he will grow at the same rate as a normal child." The fairy said with confidence.

"One last thing before we get out of your hair", Emma ran her fingers through her hair, "Is there like a manual or something for light magic so I don't hurt Regina or the baby?"

A cross between a hackle and a chuckle passed the older fairy's lips and Emma stepped back in surprise.

Blue said, "You won't hurt them with white magic especially if it is for healing." She watched as the stress was wiped from the blonde's features. "I do warn you though, if you use the healing on Regina for longer than needed or at strong burst, you will cause stimulation, but that may not necessarily be a bad thing."

Emma was suddenly uncomfortable again, she wasn't sure what she meant by stimulation, but she didn't want to ask either, the fairy was creeping her out a bit, "Thank you Blue, we will get going now."

"Emma, just know, you are more in control of your magic then you think you are." Blue said before the blonde turned to leave.

Emma nodded and let a small smile cross her lips and then Henry and she walked out.

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Regina and Felix had made it home in record time. She had even stopped by the grocery to pick up something to fix for diner. She was feeling much better after the ultrasound, and knowing that her family was happy about the baby.

Once they were in the house, Felix dropped the clothes bags in the living room and then brought the grocery bags into the kitchen and sat them down on the counter. He had insisted that she not carry anything, and told her that was what he was for. She shook her head at his failed attempt at a joke, but allowed him to carry them.

She hadn't had a conversation with the teen about anything personal. He still acted like he was scared of her most of the times. She had reached out to turn the radio down in the car and she swears that she saw him flinch. It was something she needed to discuss with him, but she lacked the courage at the moment.

He glanced over at the trash can and said, "I'll take the trash out if you want."

She smiled at him, "Yeah, sure."

She needed to call Snow before the news of her being in the hospital came from an outside source, and she news her lover had not informed her. She picked up her phone from the island and dialed the number.

"Snow, I was calling to let you know that I had to be taken to the hospital earlier, but I am all right."

"What happened? Is the baby okay?" Her ex-stepdaughter almost shouted.

"Yes, he is fine. Everyone one is fine." She said.

"He? How do you know it is a boy?" Snow said with concern laced through her voice.

The older woman sighed; it had slipped her mind at how dramatic the other woman could be. She didn't feel like going over this on the phone so she asked, "What are your plans for dinner?"

Snow paused for a moment, as if to think, and then said, "We don't have any."

"You do now. Dinner is at seven sharp, and I am sure Emma and Henry will be glad to see you all as well. We will talk more then." Regina hung up before the other woman had time to reply.

Regina had a pain in her back and leaned forward on the island pressing her elbows and chest down onto the wooden top. She let out a puff of air as she closed her eye to the pain.

Opening her eyes slowly, she could see someone moving towards her in the reflection from the window across from her. Her heart jumped and she gasped spinning around. As she spun she pushed out a burst of energy to protect herself from whoever was coming up behind her.

She realized seconds too late that she had just blasted Felix a crossed the kitchen and back through the doorway into the entry hall, where he slammed up against the wall and slid down with a loud grunt.

"Oh my god, Felix!" She screamed as she ran towards him.

Just as she reached him, the front door opened revealing Emma and Henry. Emma rushed over, "What happened?"

Regina's eyes were filling with tears, "I thought he was…..He came up behind me and I freaked." She tried to stifle a sob.

Emma knelt down by the teenager who was just opening his eyes, and he shook his head, "What did I do?"

Regina sobbed more, "I'm sorry I didn't know it was you."

The teen looked up confused and scare, but didn't say anything. Henry looked at his mom with concern, "Mom, what happened?"

Still sobbing, she said, "I was having back pains and needed to lean on the counter. When I looked up I saw a reflection in the window moving up behind me and I freak out." She put her hand over her mouth to try and muffle her sobs, "I thought it was him Emma."

Emma moved close to the queen and put her arms around her, "He's gone, he will never hurt you again, I promise."

Henry looked at his mother's, "Mom why don't you go upstairs with Emma. She has some stuff to discuss with you and Felix and I are going to get some air."

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After he watched his birth mother walked with his adoptive mother up the stairs, he looked down at the other boy, "You okay?"

Felix looked up in shock, "Man, that dude really messed your mom up, huh?"

Henry held his hand out for the older boy to take, yanking him up to his feet, he said, "Yeah, he did. Let's go for outside."

As the younger boy reached for the door, Felix asked, "How do you know when it is turned off?"

Henry looked at him confused and then grabbed the door knob opening the door, "How do I know when what is turned off?"

The older boy followed him out of the house and around the back towards the apple tree, "Your mom's spell she puts on the doors and window."

Henry stopped next to the bench and tilted his head in confusion, looking at Felix he asked, "Spell? What are you talking about?" Henry asked.

"I didn't want to ask before because she said you would get mad," The older boy said.

"Who is 'she' and what would I be mad about?" Henry was becoming aggravated.

"Sheriff Swan. She said you would get mad if I said anything to you about the spell because it burned you one time and your mom had to heal you." He explained.

Suddenly it all made since. When he was staring at the door, he thought there was a spell cast. He didn't want to tell Henry what he was thinking last night because he thought he would get mad at him.

Henry laughed and shook his head, "Dude the worst thing my mom has ever did to me was make a tree grab and hold me with its branches, but she would never hurt me on purpose, and just for the record she didn't mean to do that in there." He pointed towards the house.

The older teen looked confused this time, "So she never put a spell on the doors or windows?"

"No, and I never got burned." He said.

He looked angry and crossed his arms over his chest, "So the sheriff is a liar."

"Calm down, she did lie, but it was for a good reason. She could have left you in the jail cell, or took you over to juvenile hall herself, but instead she brought you here. Other than the baby, you are what my moms have been worried the most about. They think that deep down your some amazing kid. My mom even got onto me about calling you Pan JR." Henry said.

The other boy looked at him and then plopped down on the bench, "Why would they think that? I'm no good, you've said as much and you're right."

Henry sighed and sat down next to him, "I only said that because I was mad. I saw the way you were bullying those other boys and it pissed me off. I was getting bullied up until last week when this guy started talking mad trash about my mom, so I'm kind of sensitive to the topic." The older boy nodded but didn't ask about it, and Henry continued, "Emma lied because she didn't want you to run away again, she wanted to show what it could be like to have a real family."

"Well, I guess I'm glad she did lie, because I would have run away last night." Felix said staring out at the apple tree.

"Don't run, just because I told you there was no spell. Stay and give my mom's a chance, hell give me a chance like we are willing to give you. I don't know everything you have been through and I don't know what life was like out there, but I swear it will be better here." Henry found himself almost pleading.

Another sigh passed the older boys lips, "It's only until Wednesday, you know that, right?"

"Something tells me that if you play your cards right, you will be pleasantly surprised. My moms have that effect on people." Henry said lightly nudging the other boy with his elbow and he smiled.

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Emma had been able to calm her lover enough to stop the sobbing, but tears still fell. She held her to her chest and ran her hand down the soft brown locks, "Babe, he is fine. Everything is okay."

"How can you say that? I just blasted a teenage boy a crossed our house, I could have killed him." She said as she sniffled.

Emma didn't let the 'our' house statement fade from her mind, but said, "But you didn't."

"The boy is already petrified of me; he will never look at me like a normal person now." She said.

Emma didn't want to tell Regina about the lie she had told the boy and thought it would be a good idea to come clean about that with the older teen. She lifted the brunettes head so she could see her eyes, "We will talk to him about it in a little bit."

Regina didn't say anything as another couple of tears fell. So Emma thought she should change the subject, "Good news is that Henry and I did get to talk to Blue."

"And?" Came another sniffle.

"We will not be able to stop the speed of the pregnancy", Emma saw more tears fall, "However, the reason you are tired and hurting like you are is because the baby is feeding on your magic." Regina wiped a few of the salty tears away, "How does that help me?"

Emma smiled, "She said that I could use healing magic to feed the baby some of mine so he is consuming all of your, and this will also help with some of the discomforts and things you are feeling."

Regina closed her eyes as she winced in pain from her back, "Maybe we should try it now?"

Emma took a deep breath. She always felt nervous when she was dealing with her magic. She reached out and placed her hand on Regina's belly and closed her eyes. She really hoped this worked.

After a couple of seconds she opened her eyes and saw her hand glowing. She concentrated on happy thoughts, but also on what she was trying to accomplish. She let her magic emulate over the queen's stomach for a few minutes and then pulled her hand back.

"Wow, the pain in my back is gone, and so is my head ache. I think you gave me an energy boost as well." The mayor said smiling.

Emma took note of the woman's sudden mood change and how she was instantly not crying anymore. Maybe her magic helped with mood swings too, or at least she hoped.

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Regina and Emma came down the stairs together. She had told Emma about her parents coming to dinner, and even though she could see that the blonde wanted to protest, she didn't.

As they got towards the bottom of the stair case, Regina could her Henry's and Felix's voices coming from the living room. She was surprised, because they didn't sound angry or upset, but friendly. She could have almost swore she heard the boys laugh.

She walked to the living room entrance and peered inside. The two boys we sitting on the sofa pulling the clothes they had bought out of the bags. Henry held up the 'Chucks' he had picked out and handed them to the other boy.

"Those are so me, man, thanks", He said to her son.

She narrowed her eyes, not because she was angry, because she wanted more than anything for the two boys to be friends, and because she had no idea what had happened to cause this change.

"I knew you would like them." Henry said looking up and noticing his mother out of the corner of his eye, "Hey mom," he said as he turned to look at her.

Felix turned to her as well and she was amazed at what she saw, his eyes no longer showed fear when he looked at her, for a moment she did she sadness, probably for her, but now he just looked like a normal kid. He smiled and then she saw his confidence leave him as he let his eyes fall.

"I was about to go and start dinner and just wanted to check on you two", she said.

She saw Henry look at Felix and then return his gaze, "Can we help?"

Regina didn't expect that, "Sure."

She went into the kitchen and the boys followed. Turning around she looked at Henry, "Why don't you two get the vegetables from the refrigerator and wash them. We need to make a salad. Oh and your grandparents are coming for dinner."

"Awesome." Henry said as he opened the door to the refrigerator.

Regina smiled to herself as her son talked to the other boy while they collected the veggies, "You'll like them, they're a little cheesy, but they are nice."

"I think I met your grandparents in Neverland, not to mention Deputy Charming was the other officer that interrogated me." Felix said.

"Oh, right." Henry said feeling a little awkward.

Felix was quick to lighten things, "I'm sure he's cool when he's not in uniform."

Henry laughed, which in turn cause Regina to chuckle.

"Hey, Hey! No making fun of people in uniforms, no matter how dorky they are." Emma said from the doorway.

Felix laughed and under his breath or so he thought he said, "Except for Deputy Lucas."

"You think Ruby is hot?" Henry asked.

The older teens eye shot up surprised that everyone had heard him, but he stuck to it, "Well, yeah, don't you?" He asked towards Henry.

Henry looked up awkwardly at his mother's and said, "I-I guess she's okay."

"Henry, dear, you don't have to be embarrassed to say rather you think someone is attractive just because we are here. I think she is 'hot' as you put it." Regina said.

Felix laughed, "Your mom is awesome."

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The Charming arrived at six thirty. Emma knew it got on her lover's nerves that they showed up early, because apparently it was rude where she was from. For Emma she was always under the impression it would be better to show early.

After her mother said hi to her, she went straight for the kitchen in search of Regina. Emma knew this pregnancy was going to get the mayor a lot of attention and for the first time, the blonde found that she wasn't jealous. She was actually very happy at her mother's and Regina's relationship. She really felt that the older brunette deserved it.

Emma hugged her dad, "Where's Neal?"

"We were going to bring him, but we didn't want to take a chance of him getting sick while we were here. Plus it allows us to be able to visit freely, so he is with Granny", He said.

"Well that's good, I'm sure you two need a break for a bit." She said.

David nodded his head a little too dramatically, "You have no idea."

"Come on you two, it's time to eat." Regina called from the dining room.

Emma smiled at her father and they walked in the direction, "We usually eat in the kitchen." The blonde said a little confused at the change.

"I thought we would use the dining room for a more formal meal and it would be something different", Regina said smiling.

Emma has never done well with anything that involved the word formal. She looked down at the table and saw the nice china and multiple pieces of silverware that lay on the pressed napkins and swallowed. She could never remember which fork went with what dish, or even how the seating would work. She knew the head of the house sat at the end of the table while the guests sit along the sides or something like that. Her palms were starting to sweat as her brain panicked. She had been locked in a closet a few times by a family she stayed with for placing the silverware on the wrong side of the plate while setting the table. The memories were flooding back to her.

Emma glanced up to see everyone looking at her. Regina raised and eye brow in her direction, "Are you going to sit dear?" The mayor asked as she gestured towards the other end of the table.

The sheriff looked around the table at everyone standing behind a chair and realized that the only vacant one was at the far end of the table, opposite Regina. She thought that only the heads of the house sat at the ends of the table? Regina had yet to give what they were a name, let alone call her one of the heads of house hold.

Her heart was beating hard, but she smiled and started walking towards her seat. As she passed Regina, a warm hand reached out and took her wrist and pulled her gently to her and then she whispered in her ear, "Are you all right? You look a little pail."

Emma smiled, "I-I'm fine, just not used to the formal thing."

Regina kissed the woman's cheek and said, "You won't be judged for using the wrong fork, dear. It will be fine."

The blonde smiled and walked to her chair. Regina and Snow sat down as the three males waited. Emma was still standing and hadn't been paying attention.

"Emma?" Regina's voice was soft.

The blonde glanced up and noticed the three guys were still standing, as they were waiting for her to sit, "Oh right, sorry." She said as she sat down.

The only sound in the room for several minutes was the sound of forks as they scrapped the plates, while everyone ate. David looked across the table to boys, "So, Felix, how are you enjoying your stay here?"

Emma watched as the teen glanced up from his plate, he chewed his food and said, "It's good."

The blonde looked down the table to Regina at the other end and could see she was still upset about what had happened earlier, but then the boy smiled over at the queen and then looked back to David, "Miss. Mills bought me some clothes for school." He glanced over at Regina, "Thank you again for that. No one has ever done anything like that for me before."

Henry smiled up at his grandparents, "He even got broke in with mom's magic."

Emma saw the petrified look on her lovers face and knew she didn't want anyone to know, but before she could stop him, Felix joined in, "Yeah it hurt, but it was pretty cool to fly across a room."

Snow looked concerned, but before she could inquire about the rest of the story, Henry looked at her, "He wants to start school as soon as possible, so what does he need to do in order to take a placement test?"

Emma was surprised with the news and by the look on the mayor's face, so was she.

Mary Margret said, "Well, he can actually take it online. The sooner it is completed and sent to the school the sooner he will hear back and know what grade he will be placed in."

Felix smiled and Henry whispered something to him and they both nodded at each other. Emma thought it was strange that their relationship took a dramatic change in direction since this morning, but she wasn't complaining.

Snow looked over at Emma, "Regina was filling me in on the speed in which the baby is growing and how fast this pregnancy is going. She said you went and talked to Blue?"

Emma looked up, "Yeah. She said that I could use my light magic to help Regina and to feed the baby, but we can't change the rate that the baby is growing."

Emma picked up her wine to take a sip, as Henry added, "Don't forget that Blue also said if you use too much magic or burst of magic you could stimulate mom."

Apparently all four adults decided to take a drink at the same time, but they all spewed wine out across the table at Henry's words. Emma was pretty sure that the beautiful WHITE table cloth that Regina had taken so much time to look perfect was now ruined.


	38. Chapter 38

**Chapter38**

Regina's heels clicked loudly against the thick tile floor of the school hallway. People were insane if they though she was going to wear flats or some other unattractive shoe while pregnant. She still had a reputation to uphold and she felt better about herself when she wore her 'power suits' as she had heard Emma call them. However, she did have to use a bit of magic to let the material out enough to fit.

She entered the waiting room of the principal's office and walked up to the desk. The mousey woman behind the desk could tell by the sound of the heels that mayor Mills was coming and it scared her to death. Regina watched the woman gasp in shock as she saw the now even bigger belly on the former Evil queen.

"M-Mayor Mills, Mr. Cooper will be with you in a moment." The woman stuttered.

Regina was a little amused at how she still had that effect on a handful of people. However, she truly didn't want people to fear her anymore, well, unless she was angry, but then again anyone who was angry wanted people to fear them.

She nodded and sat down across the room in one of the waiting chairs and crossed her legs. She realized how difficult it was becoming to sit in this position. It would not be long before she wouldn't be able too. Even her hips were hurting her today, and she had indigestion something fierce.

She could hear multiple pairs of shoes hitting the floor at a fast pace outside the waiting room door. Henry, Felix and Mary Margret came into view as they walked into the waiting room?

"Where is Emma?" Regina asked.

"She will be here, she just got held up at the station waiting for David to come back from his patrol rounds. Apparently, Leroy was arrested last night for public intoxication, trespassing and disturbing the peace", Both boys started giggling, while Snow continued, " And they do not like to leave the station unattended when they have inmates."

Regina looked at the boys as tears ran down their faces from laughing, "What is so funny?"

Snow cleared her throat, but kept a serious expression, "Leroy was arrested for going onto the convent grounds, while intoxicated, to serenade Astrid. It did not amuse Mother Superior so she called and had him arrested."

Regina narrowed her eyes in confusion, "Why aren't they together? They've already had sex, so it's not like her vows are still in tacked."

Snow leaned in and whispered, "They aren't real nuns, and besides that, you know how the fairies are."

Regina wasn't sure why it bothered her that the annoying dwarf and the ditzy fairy were not allowed to be together, but it did, a lot. She made a mental note to speak with Blue on the matter as soon as she could.

Suddenly a flash of blonde curls flew in the entry way, "Sorry I am late, I got here as quickly as I could." The blonde's cheeks were flush crimson as she had most likely run the entire way, and she was a little out of breath. The sheriff's eye glanced down at Regina's stomach, "Wow, so he grew again since last night?"

Regina sighed and nodded as the blonde walked closer, leaning down to give her quick kiss on the lips. The mayor had never thought she would be all right the public displays of affection that the blonde so loved to share, but surprisingly enough she wasn't, in fact she would go as far as to say she very much enjoyed it.

The blonde sat down next to her and placed her hand on her lover's abdomen. Regina breath caught at the way the blonde made her feel, and how much she seemed to be excited about the baby. Regina could fell the baby move. It felt as though her were trying to rearrange her organs.

Emma eyes grew wide and so did her smile, "Did he just move?"

The queen blew out a breath of air to help with the discomfort she felt in her back and hips, "Yes, he is very active today."

Henry shot over to them and knelt down in front of his mom, "Can I feel?"

She smiled at him, "Of course, Dear."

The baby kicked this time visibly moving the material that covered her stomach, "Cool. Hey Felix, come check this out."

Felix walked over to them nervously. Regina smiled up at him, "It all right, you can feel if you want."

The older teen slowly reached out his hand and placed it on the mayor's stomach, after a few seconds, the baby kicked again. The boy's eyes lit up and he smiled, "Wow, that's cool, but also a little weird."

The door to the left of them opened and a surprised Mr. Cooper stood looking at the group with their hands on mayor's belly, "I am ready for you Mayor Mills."

Everyone retracted their arms and stood. Regina stood, with a little help from the blonde and they walked into the office.

Regina and Emma took the seat in front of the desk, while the boys sat in the chairs that Henry and Jason had sat in, not so long ago. Mary Margret stood to the side of Regina.

The principal took his seat and lifted a piece of paper that was in front of him, "It appears Felix here, scored well in all parts of his test except writing portion."

Regina looked at the man, "That's good, right?"

He glanced at her over his glasses, "Well, yes and no."

Snow stepped closer trying to see the paper, "What does that mean?"

"Well it means he will need to be placed in a much lower grade until he can reach the appropriate level in his reading and writing." The man said.

Felix sighed loudly causing Regina to look at him, "I can't get put in a lesser grade, they will make fun of me for sure then."

Without thinking the man said, "We have a no bullying policy here at…"

Emma shot the man a warning look and the words died out, "We have seen how well that works."

Mary Margret crossed her arms, "No. You will put him at least in the eleventh grade, and I will help him with his reading and writing."

The man looked as though he wanted to argue, but then realized that two out of the three of the most powerful practitioners of magic in this town, were looking at him with the same threatening glare.

He wiped the sweat of his brow, "Alright, but he has to pass all of his classes with a B or higher at the end of the first six weeks, or he is moved back to the ninth grade."

Regina glanced back at the older boy and saw the relieve that washed over his face, and then at Snow who nodded, "Very well."

The man smiled, "Congratulations son, you start tomorrow, that is if the sheriff has brought the necessary documentation?"

All eyes were on the blonde as she reached into the back of her waistband and pulled out a folder. She opened it up on his desk and removed the documents from inside and passed them to him.

His eyes swept over the papers, when he got to the last one he glanced up, "Two, things. One I need his last name and two I need his guardian's signature."

Regina looked back at the boy, "What is your last name dear?"

He looked as though he were thinking, "I don't remember, but I think the case workers gave us all last names, it has to be in the paper somewhere."

Snow answered, "They have him down as Smith. I think they gave that name to all of the lost boys."

Regina reached out taking the paper and signed her name as his guardian, and then slid the paper back onto the desk, "That should cover it."

The man nodded and then looked at Felix, "Well Mr. Smith, when you arrive at school in the morning, just come and see my secretary, she will have your schedule, books and locker ready by then."

As everyone stood to leave, Regina couldn't get the name out of her head, 'Smith'. It was so impersonal. Now it would have been a different story had that actually been the child's name, because it would mean that the name came from somewhere and meant something, but because it didn't, it was hollow. If it affected the older teen, he didn't let on, but Regina felt for him. Even the peasants from her kingdom had names, and no matter how little they had, they took pride in their names.

Suddenly she thought of Emma. Emma had grown up without a name, she didn't know who her parents were and she was alone. A tear rolled down her cheek as she remembered that it was her fault that caused that, but not because of the guilt, but because she could suddenly feel the sadness and loneliness that the blonde and the teen must have felt their entire lives. She had felt alone too, but it was slightly different.

"Regina?" Emma said reaching out and wiping a tear away.

Snapping to, Regina smiled and hugged the blonde. She didn't want to bring up what she was thinking about, but she did want the blonde to feel how sorry she was and how much she loved her.

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Emma had wanted to take the boy's and Regina to lunch. They had not really gotten out a lot as a family since everything had happened and thought maybe it would be nice. Snow had said she was going to pick up Neal from the station and then run him to daycare so she could get some stuff done around the loft.

They pulled up chairs at the table and sat down. Silence ran through the diner as they watched a surprisingly very pregnant Regina walk in. Emma was trying not to let it get on her nerves she knew that not too many knew and the ones who did know, hadn't had time to share it due to the speed the baby was growing.

Granny walked up to the table, eyes wide but had a smile to match, "Well how do you like that? This kid will be here before the week is out."

Emma saw Regina tense up and reached over to put her hand on her knee.

"Does everyone want their usual's?" She looked up at Felix and then to Emma, "Hopefully you're paying for this one, he has a habit of taking things for free." She used her normal snarky tone, but her eyes were still soft.

Felix seemed uncomfortable, "I'll pay you back, when I get some money."

Granny continued writing on her note pad, and then looked up over her glasses at him, "What'll you have then?"

Emma could see the boy wanted to run. She had that look a many a times, "Hey, you're good kid. Tell her what you want."

He swallowed and said, "A burger and fries, please."

Granny smiled and wrote down his order, "Relax boy, you'll pay me back one way or another." She walked away to put in their order.

The blonde caught Regina grabbing at her lower back and a brief flicker of pain swept across her face, "Alright, come on."

The mayor looked up at her, "Where are we going?"

Emma stood up holding out her hand, "To the ladies room, so I can heal you."

Regina complied as she followed the other woman towards the back, and into the restroom.

The bathroom was large, but only had one toilet and a sink in it. The sheriff led the brunette to the toilet and motioned for her sit. She did as she was told and Emma knelt down between her legs, raised the hem of the silk shirt up and placed her hand on the other woman's abdomen.

She didn't even have to close her eyes this time, as soon as her hand touched Regina's skin, her hand lit up. The younger woman could tell it was working, because Regina leaned back against the toilet and let out a soft sigh.

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Regina rested her back against the toilet. It felt so relaxing when Emma used her magic and it literally took every pain she had away. It also seemed to calm the baby.

Emma phone rang, and the blonde answered it with her free hand, "Sheriff Swan?"

Regina kept her eyes closes at the gently relaxing warmth that was washing over body.

"Those papers are legit." The blonde said into the receiver.

Suddenly the warmth the brunette was feeling was moving throughout her body. The heat radiated causing her nipples to stand at attention. She hadn't felt anything like that before.

"That's the only papers child ware fare gave me." Emma said raising her voice.

The warmth was now seeping down between her legs, and she gasped at the sensation. She wanted to call out for Emma to stop the magic, but her voice failed her.

"Did they say he could at least start until I can get this straightened out?" The sheriff asked.

Regina bit the side of her cheek, in order to not cry out in ecstasy. The warmth was now rushing over her core and she was very close to the edge. A little whimper escaped her lips and she inhaled deeply trying to catch her breath. The feeling was so overwhelming and indescribable causing her to pant.

"Well tell him I will get it straightened out, there just had to be some sort of simple mix up." Emma said.

Regina was having trouble keeping her hip still. They were rocking involuntarily as the brunette grabbed the material of her pants into her clenches fist. She was so close now and she still couldn't find words, but she was a little too far gone to have blonde stop now.

Just as Emma hung up the phone, Regina's orgasm erupted through her as she cried out, "Oh God Yes!"

Emma's head whipped over at the brunette and removed her hand, "Holy shit Regina, I'm sorry."

Still unable to speak, the brunette was trying to catch her breath. She stood up on shaky legs placing her hands on the blondes shoulder. Her face was flushed and small specks of sweat had started forming on her forehead and upper lip.

The up side was that not only had she just had possibly had the best orgasm of her life, but she no longer felt pain or discomfort anywhere in her body. After taking a deep breath, she let it out slowly and said, "Okay that was a little more than stimulating me."

Emma was blushing; she was embarrassed, "I'm sorry I shouldn't have answered the phone."

Regina bit her lip as she turned to the sink and looked into the mirror. She turned the water on and splashed some on her face. Emma passed her some paper towels so she could dry herself of.

Regina's eyes widened, "Oh my god Emma, I was loud, wasn't I?"

Emma gave a timid smile, "A little."

The brunette closed her eyes, "The whole diner, including the boys will have heard me." Her face was now red with her own embarrassment.

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"Sorry man, Ruby usually works at the station in the evenings." Henry said as he watched the older boy scan the room.

"Oh." Felix said looking back at his drink.

"You know you don't stand a chance right?" Henry asked and then sucked in a mouthful of soda from his straw.

"I know that, but it is nice to dream." The older teen smiled.

Henry shook his head. He was into girls for sure, but this boy was totally infatuated with the waitress.

"Oh God Yes!" His mother's voice screamed out from the back.

Both boys looked at each other and then towards the back. They noticed all of the diner patrons staring in the same direct, and then they glanced back at their table. Henry shrugged and the other boys said nothing.

Granny walked up to their table with their order in hand and glanced toward the back room, "What exactly, were your mother's going to do?"

Henry smiled up, "Well, Blue told Emma she could use healing magic on mom to help with pain."

She started setting the plates down, "That sounds like more than healing going on back there."

"Emma hasn't really mastered the control part of her magic, so, I would guess that is the stimulation part of what Blue was warning Emma about." Henry said. He knew exactly what stimulation meant, but he wasn't going to be one of those immature kids who always yell out 'gross' or 'eww' every time he saw his parent's made out. Sex didn't bother him, well consensual sex that is. He had the 'talk' with his adoptive mother long ago about how sex was a natural part of life. She had never made him feel that sex was something someone should be ashamed of.

Granny glanced towards the back room again so Henry let his eyes follow her gaze. His two mother's appeared, both with very dark red hues coving their necks and faces.

All eyes were on them as they crossed the diner and made it back to their table. They both slowly sat down, Henry could see his mother's trying to act as thought nothing had happened. Of course Henry couldn't resist, "I take it the trip to the bathroom was very stimulating."

Regina groaned and buried her head in her hands. Emma was still blushing but said, "It was an accident."

Henry looked at Felix and they both doubled over in laugher.

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Emma sat behind her desk with her feet propped up on it. Regina hadn't talked to her after the bathroom incident. She knew the woman was mad at her, but she didn't know that would happen, well she kind of did, but it was an accident. She would have only tried to do that on purpose if they were at home, but honestly that had never crossed her mind.

She had called the child ware fare office to get the paper work error corrected. Now she was just waiting for the case worker to show up. A couple of hours had gone by and she was really hoping the lady would show up soon.

Felix and Henry decided to go over to the library so that Henry could introduce the older boy to Belle. Emma thought it was a good idea; they needed to get out and do some teen things instead of constantly being with their parents.

"Parents?" Emma said out loud at her error in her thoughts.

"You talking to yourself, Sheriff?" Leroy asked from across the room behind the bars.

Emma looked up at the fury faced man then looked back down, "Just thinking out loud Leroy."

"Say, when am I getting out of here?" He asked.

Emma glanced up at the clock on the wall, "I guess I can let you go a little early."

She sighed and dropped her legs down from the desk top and then stood. The blonde walked over and unlocked the cell. She could see that the usual grumpy man was now just depressed. There was sadness in his eyes that made the sheriff frown.

"Give it some time, she'll come around." Emma said.

"It's not her that's needs to come around, it's Blue. She will never let her be with me." He said with his eyes on the floor.

Emma didn't know what to say to him. She still wasn't fully educated in all things Enchanted Forest and apparently they have their own rules. She patted his arm as he walked by for some comfort, but she was pretty sure it didn't offer any.

"Sheriff Swan?" A females voice called from the entry way.

"Yeah, back here." She called back.

A woman with a large folder in her hand and her hair in a bun walked into the room.

Emma stepped forward, "I take it you are from child ware fare?"

"Yes. I am Sharon Copeland, and you, I presume are Sheriff Swan." The woman said.

Emma nodded and motioned for the woman to sit opposite her desk. As she did Emma sat in her chair behind the desk.

"So what is this paper mix up?" Emma asked.

The woman pulled a pair of glasses out of her blazer pocket and slid them onto her face. They looked like reading glasses which surprised the blonde because she thought only older people wore those.

"It is a little more complicated than that Sheriff." She said.

"Explain." She said.

"Well for starters, he is almost eighteen. There are so many children we have to deal with on a daily basis; the paper work has gotten mixed up. We do not have the correct forms for him. We have been dealing with many adoptions; we don't have time to find it." She said as she thumbed through the folder.

Emma scowled, "Excuse me? You don't have time to find it?"

The woman kept her head down as she looked through the folder, "Like I said he will be eighteen soon and we have more important thing to deal with."

The blonde was dumbfounded. She couldn't believe what this woman was saying, "What do you mean you have more important things to deal with? This is a kid we are talking about, not a fucking piece of old food." She was standing now.

The woman raised her eyes at the sheriff's tone, "Sheriff Swan, you have to understand we have more than a hundred children in our system. Most of them were discovered after the first curse broke. We are not equipped to deal with this many children, and now we have seven confirmed adoptions that are being processed as we speak."

Emma walked over to the window and looked out. This was the same kind of talk she heard from case workers her entire life. Too many children meant many were not getting the care they needed. They would just stick them in any foster home that came available and move on to the next kid.

"So what does it mean if we can't find that paper?" Emma asked.

"He will not be able to attend school and most likly he will only be biding his time until he is eighteen and then he's not our problem anymore. He has such a long rap sheet in such a short time in being here, that no one wants to deal with him." She said.

"Not your problem?" She repeated it more for herself rather than at the case worker, "He is just as important as any of those other kids. I am willing to deal with him, let me adopt him." Emma said turning to face the woman with tears in her eyes.

"I'm sorry sheriff, I wish it were that simple, but even if I could just allow you to adopt him, it would take a year for the paperwork to go through, he still wouldn't be able to attend school." The woman said, a little softer.

"This is bullshit!" Emma yelled at the woman causing her to jump.

"He just needs a chance, please, you have to be able to do something." Emma pleaded as a tear rolled down her cheek.

The woman stood sliding the folder on the desk, "I'm sorry Sheriff, my hands are tied." Then she turned and walked away.

Emma closed her eyes leaning her forehead up against the window frame; her shoulder began to shake violently as she started sobbing loudly.

Ruby had just made her way back from her break when she walked in and heard the sobbing. Finding the woman crumpled on the floor where her back had slid down the wall she ran over to hert, "Emma, what's wrong?"

The blonde could only cry and sob as she gasped in air between the horrible sobbing.

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Regina had gone home. She was so embarrassed at what had taken place at the diner that she barely had eaten. She couldn't believe Emma had been that careless. It wasn't that she didn't enjoy the orgasm, because it was incredible, however, she would have rather had it in the privacy of her own home, instead of in a place where a quarter of the town could hear her.

She had put a roast in the oven as soon as she had arrived and knew it would be done very shortly. The mayor figured this would be a simple meal especially since the sides cooked at the same time as the meat.

She rubbed her stomach and smiled, maybe she was being a little too hard on the sheriff, she did have relief from all of the pain she had been feeling. Regina sighed; the blonde had apologized profusely for what had happened.

Glancing up at the clock she realized it was now after six and there was no Emma. She knew the boys wouldn't be back until eight, but this wasn't normal for the blonde to be this late, or at least since they had been living together.

As she reached for her phone to dial the sheriff's number, her phone started ringing. She picked it up noticing that it was the station, "Miss, Swan it is after…"

"Regina, its Ruby. Somethings wrong with Emma." The wolf interrupted.

Without a word Regina disappeared from her kitchen and was now standing the station looking at the waitress who still held the phone. Regina's head turned when she heard sobbing, and she saw Emma on the floor.

She ran over to her and knelt, "Emma, baby, what's happened?"

The blonde looked up but only for a second and then she latched onto the brunette burying her face in the dark locks as she continued to sob.

This was the first time she had to comfort the blonde in the same manner that she had done countless times for the brunette. She began stroking Emma's blonde hair and kissed the top of her head, "Emma, please say something, you are scaring me."

"Child Ware fare said they can't find the paper we need." She sobbed again.

Regina didn't understand, but there had to be more, or why would the blonde be this upset, "What paper Emma?"

"The one Mary Margret called to tell us we needed for Felix to go to school, at the diner." She said through her tears.

Suddenly Regina remembered the blonde being on the phone during her… stimulation.

"Okay, tell them to make another one." Regina said hoping the sheriff was only over reacting.

"They won't. They said it would take too long and he would already be eighteen, so I told him I would adopt him and she said that it was a waste of time." Another sob fell from her throat.

Regina's eyes watered up at the broken heart of her lover, she tried to think of all of her contacts, but the moment none were coming to her.

"He just needed a chance, Regina. I told him he had nothing to worry about and look now, he will never trust anyone again. I just wanted him to have the life I never had." She sobbed harder.

She could feel her lovers pain, and she had to stifle a sob of her own, "I know baby. We will figure this out. I promise."


	39. Chapter 39

A huge thank you to GASeeker on fanfiction AKA DrKnow2U on Tumblr AKA DrKnow on AO3, I really appreciate all your help and hope you don't get sick of hearing from me! Hopefully everyone is still enjoying the story and I hope everyone has a great day, or evening, where ever you are.

 **Chapter39**

Emma had gone straight to bed when they had arrived home. She wasn't hungry and couldn't face Felix yet. Regina had told her to not worry about anything, and that they would not need to tell Felix, because she was more than determined to fix this. Felix would be attending school in the morning.

The boys had only asked once where the other woman was during dinner and Regina had told them that she was just really tired. They seemed to except the explanations so there was no need for her to elaborate.

"Mom, you're not still mad at Emma about the diner thing, are you?" Henry asked with a serious expression.

She had taught Henry not to be ashamed of sex; however, she didn't think it would become a regular choice of subject and especially about her sex life, "Umm, can we, not talk about this anymore. I really do not want to discuss mine and Emma sex life with my son's." She glanced up at the two boys surprised she had said that. She thought she should correct the statement, but she saw Felix's eyes light up.

"Okay, then what about yours and Graham's?" He asked.

Regina looked at him in confusion, "Graham? What do mean?"

The younger teen stood up and started collecting the dishes from the table, "Oh come on mom. I just never could figure out why he always chose to climb in and out your window, when he could have come straight through the door."

The mayor's mouth fell open. There was no way her son knew about that. For one, he was too young, she thought to understand, and two, she had been so discrete, or so she had thought, "I-I…" She was at a loss for words.

Felix stood to help Henry fill the dishwasher. Changing the subject he asked, "At the library, I overheard Snow tell Belle that Emma had to speak with my case worker about some form for school."

Regina took a big gulp of her wine and sat the glass down, "Yes, she did." She hadn't wanted to tell the boy anything, but she couldn't lie either.

"What did she say?" He asked as they added the soap and closed the door to the dishwasher.

The brunette swallowed the remainder of wine from her glass, "Umm, that there was a little mix with some papers, but they are working on it and there is nothing to worry about." Regina could see the panic starting to rise, but then it seemed to calm as she spoke, "I plan to handle the situation tomorrow while you boys are at school."

She let out a silent breath of air when the older teen seemed to smile and nod. She could see how much the boy was trying, and even Henry seemed to be warming up to him. She felt a flash of anger rise in her chest at the thought of someone hurting Emma, emotionally or physically, and now they were hurting the newest member of their little family. If it wasn't one thing it was another, then only difference now was that Regina refused to give up what she had right now. She didn't care if it was selfish, but they all deserved to be happy and happy was them being together.

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Emma had skipped breakfast and left the house before anyone else had woken. Just the thought of how disappointed Felix was going to be when found out that she failed him, was enough to keep her eyes watery.

She didn't feel like going to work either, so instead she walked down to the dock and sat down on the bench. She hoped the sound of the water, and seagulls would help clear her head some. She had come to the conclusion that being the savior was no different than being a villain. Every single time something good happened, twice the amount of bad happens. Well, that's a slight exaggeration, but nothing has been as bad as what her queen had endured, however it still sucked.

She lay down on the bench to look up at the sky. It was still dark outside, and the yellow glow of the street light made it almost impossible to see any stars before dawn.

"Emma?" A man said startling the blonde.

She sat up so quickly, her head seemed to buzz for a second. He father stood pushing a sleeping Neal in a stroller, "Dad? What are you doing here?"

He raised an eyebrow, but said, "We take turns taking Neal for walks to help get him to fall asleep? The better question is what are you doing here?"

The blonde sighed putting her feet back on the ground and leaning back into the wooden slats of the bench, "Just trying to clear my head."

David pulled the stroller towards her as he sat down. He continued to push it back and forth in order to keep the baby asleep, "You want to talk about it?"

Emma looked up at him and then back down, "I don't know if it will help."

David smiled, but looked out at the dark water of the bay, "You might be surprised."

"Everything has been going great at Regina's", she said, "The baby's doing well, I am able to help Regina with any pregnancy pains she get," she blushed to herself, thinking of yesterday at the diner, but moved on, "Henry and Felix are finally getting along. We got Felix registered for school, and he was excited about it." She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, fighting the tear that wanted to come.

David was looking at her now, "Okay, so far everything sounds pretty good to me."

Emma looked at him, "The case worker came by and told me they lost his paper work and there was nothing they could do about it. They just want him to turn eighteen so they can throw him away." A tear escaped, but she was quick to wide it away.

David scratched his chin where stubble had popped up overnight and he had yet to shave, "So what does that mean, he can't go to school?"

Emma shook her head, "Regina said she was going to look into it today, but I don't see what she can do. I've had to deal with these people my entire life. You get a couple of new case workers who are excited and determined to change things, but after a while, they get numb. They have seen so many kids in so many different situations and find out that they aren't able to do what should be done, rather it is paper work or time, and then another kid falls through the cracks."

David fought a lump that had seemed to form in his throat. He could feel the pain in his daughter's voice and he felt guilty again for sending her to this world, "Em…I'm…"

"I'm not telling you this to open old wounds. I'm telling you this because this is what is going to happen to Felix and I have no control over it." She said as she wiped another tear away.

David had stopped rolling the stroller and put his hand on his daughter's shoulder, "I'm sure if anyone can figure out a way, it's Regina."

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Regina bolted up right with a loud gasp. It was only a nightmare, she thought to herself. Sweat caused her silk night dress to cling to her and her hair was stuck to her forehead. She lay still for a second, trying to let her heart rate return to normal. This was the first time she had a dream about the attack.

She attempted to sit up, but suddenly realized she couldn't. Looking down, she saw that her abdomen had grown a lot overnight, and she could no longer complete a sit up, "Perfect!" She breathed out in annoyance.

Rolling out of the bed, she was finally able to stand. She looked over at Emma side of the bed, and noticed she had left early again, but this time there was no note. A slight sting of disappointment hit her but was quickly dismissed. She knew the blonde had a lot she was dealing with, and if the mayor was going to fix this she needed to get a move on it.

After making sure the boys were fed and had their lunches for school, she sent them on their way. Henry had been walking to school for a while now, but now Regina actually felt safer with him having the older boy to walk with.

The school was going to allow Felix one day of attendance and would allow them to paper correct the paper work by the end of the day. She would make sure Emma had everything she wanted, so Gods help anyone who got in her way.

She pulled up outside the Child welfare office and parked the car. The mayor glanced down at her watch. She only had a couple of hours before her appointment with Archie. She stepped out of the Mercedes and walked into the building.

Regina had a moment of guilt hit her as she thought back to the trouble she had caused Emma when she was trying to help Ava and her brother Nick. Hell, this mix up could be her fault.

Walking up to the desk she looked around the room. There was only one woman that she could see, standing next to a copy machine waiting for it to finish. Where the hell were all of these people that were supposed to be working?

"Excuse me?" Regina called to the woman.

Without looking up, the woman held up her finger for the mayor to wait.

Regina's eyes brows shot up, and then she furrowed them. Anger came over her, "Do not dismiss me." She said sternly, watching as the woman spun around and realized who she had just disrespected, "Where is everyone?"

The woman walked in a fast pace to the desk, "M-Madam mayor, some are out picking up some of the lost boys."

Regina looked confused, "Why would they be picking them up?"

"Something about all of the documents got mixed up causing a problem with their adoptions." The woman trembled as she spoke.

"What!?" Regina yelled, and the woman flinched. "You get on the phone and you call every employee that working in this building and you tell them that I expect every one of them here by twelve thirty, and if they wish to keep their jobs they will show up!"

The mayor didn't wait for a response; she turned and walked out letting the door slam hard behind her.

Morons! This town was filled with morons. They were going to fix this, and they were going to fix it by the end of the day or she would fire every one of them. She was so angry she couldn't see straight. The pain in her back had returned and she could feel a head ache coming on.

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Henry smiled to himself. He was actually having a really good day. Felix seemed to be off to a good start. The younger boy had gone with him when he got his schedule and books. He looked confident and that made Henry happy.

The younger boy wouldn't see much of Felix, because he was a junior and Henry was a freshman, so it wasn't like they would have any classes together. Henry figured they might pass each other in the halls and he could check on him then.

The bell had rung for lunch, and Henry made his way to atrium, where he liked to eat. It always seemed less noisy than the cafeteria, and he liked the fresh air. Plus, he had never really had a lot of friends and it seemed more like a 'click' zone inside.

He sat down at the picnic table and started pulling his lunch out of the brown paper bag.

"Hey." Ava said sitting down across from him.

"Hi", he said with a smile.

She looked around at the handful of kids that were outside. Two girls sat on a blanket next to a large oak tree, One boy sat on the steps blowing into his tuba, and a boy and a girl stood side by side holding hands while they were lost in their conversation, "So this is where you come every day at lunch."

Henry didn't answer; he figured she was making more of a statement rather than a question.

She pulled a blue and black insulated lunch bag from her back pack, "It is nicer out here."

Henry just nodded as he bit into his sandwich.

"So what's with that Felix kid?" She asked. "I hear the sheriff made him stay with you guys."

"She did." He answered.

"I heard you two got into a real knock down drag out, but that you won." She said as she took a bite of an apple she had brought.

"It was something like that, but we're cool now." He smiled as he opened his chips.

"So know you are getting two brothers?" She asked.

Henry looked at her for a second, "People talk too much in this town. My mom is pregnant with a boy, if that's what you mean, as far as Felix is concerned, I guess he will be staying with us."

"Do you want him too?" She asked quietly.

He liked Ava, a lot actually, but for some reason all of her questions were getting on his nerves. He didn't want to be rude to her, she did help him out when he was trying the win the town over in favor of his mother, "I don't know. I mean he's okay and if my mom's want to help him out, then I'm cool with that, plus he is trying to be a better person."

Henry wadded his sandwich bag up and stuffed it back into his bag, "If we hurry before the bell rings, I can introduce you to him."

She picked up all of her food and put it back into her lunch bag, same as Henry, "What class does he have right now?"

"He should be in P.E. so they should be out by the track today." Henry said standing and walking up to a trash can to throw away his empty food wrappers.

Ava followed Henry around the school towards the track and football field. He could see a group of boys in their P.E. uniforms doing jumping jacks. Henry shook his head, because it was most likely those boys had gotten in trouble over something. A larger group of boys were standing with the coach on the track stretching.

He didn't see Felix and frowned to himself, "I don't see him."

They walked closer to the building trying to stay out of the couches sight, for fear they would get into trouble. As they approached the back of the field house they could hear voices, "Oh, so the mayor buys you some clothes, and you think that makes you one of us now?"

"Hey, maybe the mayor and you have something going?" Another boys voice said.

"Shut up." Felix said louder, but still calm.

Henry came around the corner and saw three boys that were Felix's age had backed him up against the wall as they harassed him, "Leave him alone." Henry said.

"Oh well, isn't this cute, it's the mayor's pussy son." The third kids said smiling.

Felix's eyes met Henry's and the younger boy could see the anger that was raging.

"Watch your mouths boys, your mother's would be so disappointed." Ava said as she came into view.

The raised voices were starting to draw attention from some of the other boys on the field. When Henry glanced up ten more were standing around. He let out a sigh, after everything that happened at school nothing had changed. Bullies were going to continue to rule. The younger boy started pushing up the sleeves on his shirt. There was no way he would win, but he was going to give it one hell of a go.

"Awe, the pussy's little girlfriend came to defend him." The first boy said, receiving laughs from his comrades.

"You", a larger boy walked up to the first kids who had said something to Felix, "Apologize."

The three bullies looked at each other confused, then the second one laughed, "Come on Alex, these guys are nothing."

Almost out of nowhere Jason Tanner appeared, "Here they are couch." He pointed to the bullies.

The third boy looked up, "Did you have a sudden change of heart Tanner? You have spent years loving to harass Mills."

Jason looked at Henry, then back to the other boys, "You could say that."

"Come on Jason, are you scared of this pussy?" The first boy asked.

Jason shook his head, "This doesn't have anything to do with that. But just so you know, I don't ever plan to be on my father's bad side again."

The heavy set coach huffed as he climbed the incline to where they were, "You three, principal now."

As the three passed the bigger boy, he stopped them, "Apologize."

The three bullies glared, the first said, "I'm not apologizing. Fuck them if they can't take a joke", He looked at Henry, "You know he's bagging your mom, because why would she take him in."

Henry started to throw himself on the older boy, but before he could, Felix hit the kid straight in the mouth, "Don't ever speak badly of the mayor again." The scarred faced teen said.

The first bully held his mouth, but kept a smile, "Oh so it is true, you really are…"

Before he could finish his sentence another fist connected with his face, but this time to his nose. Ava narrowed her eyes, "You heard what he said."

"Coach, aren't you going to do something?" The boy said with tears in his eyes.

"My suggestion would be to apologize and keep mouth shut." The coach said as he stood with his arms over his chest.

All of the other boy's stepped closer to the three bullies, the biggest boy repeated, "Apologize."

There was an audible swallow heard from one of the three boys, but then three 'sorry's' came out almost in unison.

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Regina sat on Archie's couch for what seemed like forever in silence. He had told her she could talk about anything she wanted, but she was having a hard time saying anything.

"Okay, Regina, why don't you tell me how the pregnancy is going." He final said.

She licked her lips, "Well, fast."

He smiled, "I can see that. How are you feeling about it?"

She sighed, "Nervous, scared, I don't know. I haven't had time to think on one specific thing."

"Can you elaborate a little more", he asked in his same soft voice.

Regina rubbed her eyebrow, "Well, the baby will be here sooner than we expected, and we have yet to get anything for him. I have never been pregnant so I don't get to experience each stage or even have time get used to the fact that I'm going to have a baby after all of these years."

Archie wrote something down on his note pad then asked, "Is Emma helping?"

"She is doing the best she can. She is able to use healing magic to help alleviate any pains I have from the baby." She blushed for a second, remembering the diner again, but was about to push it from her mind quickly."

Archie nodded, and then asked, "How do Emma and Henry feel about the baby?"

She smiled thinking back to little moment they had had when they were talking about the baby, "Henry is elated, and very happy that were having a boy. Emma is happy; she is just dealing with her demons right now." She looked down brushed imaginary dirt of her knee.

Archie scribbled something else down, "How have you been doing dealing with other things?"

Regina looked up at him, then back down to the floor, "I thought I was doing well, but there have been a couple of moments." Archie just started at her waiting for her to say more, "I had a nightmare before I got up this morning, the first one."

Archie looked up at her, "Tell me about the dream."

She placed her hand over her belly and rubbed gently, "I'm asleep in bed with Emma, and I feel safe and warm. I go turn her to face me and it is Robin smiling back at me sweetly, of course I go to scream and he grabs my throat so I can't."

Still looking at her, he put his pen down, "That could be caused by all of the stress you are under. You haven't had much time to process everything that has happened and when you think you will be able to, something else happens. I heard at the diner that you and Emma have taken in a lost boy, which can add stress. Everything has changed almost overnight for you, and I am sure that can be more than overwhelming,"

Regina nodded; she knew he was right; it didn't take a genius to figure that out. She had placed it in her mind on the drive over here that she was not going to talk about what happened with Felix.

Archie looked over at her, watching her body language, "There's is something you're not telling me."

Regina's eyes shot up at him. How could he possibly know that?

"Whatever it is, I won't judge you. I'm only here to help." He said with another smile.

She bit her bottom lip, "A couple of days ago, I was having some pain and I leaned over the island. Felix had gone to take the trash out and when he came back, I only saw his reflection and I freak out, blasting him across the kitchen." She pressed her index finger into the corner of her eye in order to catch a tear before it could fall.

Archie widened his eyes, "Is the boy all right."

She only nodded, she didn't want to try and respond for fear her voice would crack.

The man watched Regina for a moment, "And now you are worried that it could happen again or that you could hurt someone."

She nodded again as a tear got passed her and rolled down her cheek.

"You do realize all of this is normal?" He asked.

She narrowed her eyes, "Normal to whom? I have been raped and beaten; my son has been bullied, and now fighting. I am probably over thirty weeks pregnant, after only being pregnant for less than two weeks. We take in a hooligan, who turns out to be a pretty good kid, only to learn we may not get to save him, which is killing my girlfriend." She blurted out. Taking a breath she realized that she had just called Emma her girlfriend. She wasn't sure how she was supposed to feel about that. It just dawned on her as well, that she had not spoken any more with Emma about their relationship. The blonde still didn't know where they stood. She would remedy that just as soon as she took care of the mixed up paper problem.

"Regina, you are the ex-Evil queen. You have caused more chaos and drama than anyone I know. If anyone can handle stress, it's you." He smiled.

"You know, that's the kind of advice that will make me not return. You just basically told me that I would survive." She said raising an eyebrow.

"That's because you will, but you should still talk and get things off your chest. It is worse to keep it all bottled up." He smiled standing.

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Archie had to help Regina get up from the couch when she was ready to leave. She had always heard tells of so many woman talking about the joys of pregnancy, but she hadn't found too many. Maybe it was just because she hadn't been able to deal with a normal pregnancy.

She pulled up outside of the child welfare office. Over ten vehicles now filled the parking lot. She scoffed to herself, and then got out of the car.

Once she walked through the doors, everything went silent. All eyes were on her and her belly.

Regina didn't care to discuss her baby, "Now will someone tell me what the hell is going on around here?"

No one moved. She raised her voice, "My patience's is running thin people. You," she pointed at a woman whose badge said manager, "Can you tell me how an entire office manages to lose vital paperwork?"

"We aren't sure Madam Mayor," The timid woman from earlier said.

Regina put a hand on her lower back hoping to ease some of the pain she was feeling. She pinched the bridge of her nose with the finger of her other hand, "Then get your heads out of your asses and find out!"

The woman looked as though she might cry when the manager spoke, "Can we go into my office, Miss. Mills?"

Regina sighed loudly, but followed the woman to her office. Once they were inside the woman offered the mayor a seat, in which she refused, "I opened this office with my own money. I continue to pay all of your salaries, with my money, and why? You all are incompetent idiots. The lost paper work, all of it, has to be found by this evening."

"Miss. Mills, someone broke in here a couple days ago. We didn't realized it at the time, because the only thing missing was the forms for Felix Smith", Regina cringed again at the name, but let the other woman finish, "But then this morning when we all arrived, four of the seven adoption files were missing. I don't know who would steal them or why?"

Regina rubbed her forehead, "You are going to recreate forms for those boys."

The woman looked confused, "Miss. Mills that is illegal."

"Where? Here in our invisible town, or back in the Enchanted Forest?" The queen was calm, but her voice was harsh.

Regina walked over to the window and peered out into the street. As eyes fell on the newspaper building, just in time to see Sidney stare back at her from his window. A glare from the sun reflected of a metallic surface on the window sill in front of her. She looked down noticing a silver plated ball point pen. Picking it up, she noticed the monogram that was engraved into the metal. S.G."

She shot a look back towards Sydney. He had an evil smirk on his face as he closed the blinds, "That son of a bitch." She hissed out loud.


	40. Chapter 40

**Thank you again GASeekeer AKA DrKnow, you have helped me a lot and I thank you very much for the encouragement. ;) Thank you to all of the readers and for everyone's reviews, you all keep me inspired.**

 **Chapter40**

Henry leaned back in his desk chair and yawned, stretching his arms out over his head. He glanced out the window, smiling to himself at how great a day it had been. The sun shone brightly as it shot different shapes onto the ground through the tree branches.

His eyes observed an odd shadow that seemed to stand out from the other silhouettes. For a second he thought he had seen it move, but he was sure that it must have been the wind or something. Before he could think too hard, a person darted out from behind the tree jogging towards the parking lot.

Henry sat up straight in his chair, "Felix?" he whispered.

It was Felix, but where was he going? Henry was curious; he wanted to know what Felix was up to.

"Excuse me, Miss?" he asked, raising his hand; he couldn't remember what the substitute had said her name was.

"Yes?" she answered.

"Umm, can I go to the restroom?" he asked.

"You only have ten more minutes in this class Mr." she leaned over looking at the attendance form on her desk, "Mills."

Henry grabbed his stomach dramatically "I'm sorry Miss. I don't think I can wait that long. Something from lunch didn't agree with me."

"Very well, just hurry back." she said waving her hand in a dismissive manner.

Henry stood jogging to the door. He was in a hurry, just not for the reason he had made the teacher believe. The teen was running full speed when he reached the hallway, and to his relief, the hallway was clear.

He hit the side door exiting the building. Henry didn't know if he had lost Felix already, but he wasn't going to give up until he found him. He couldn't have gone that far.

Henry had made it about two blocks from the school when he saw the older boy dart down an alley next to the strip of businesses. He noted that one was The Mirror. The younger boy slowed his pace as he neared the alley entrance, pressing his back up against the brick. Carefully, he craned his neck to see.

Felix knocked on the side door and waited nervously. The door opened and the older teen stepped inside, with the door closed behind him.

What the hell were they up to? Henry could feel his anger rising, he couldn't believe that he let himself be played. He tried to tell his birth mother that the older boy was no good. Felix had even had him believing he could change. He had to call Emma.

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Regina stared at the building across the street. What could Sidney possibly gain from this? She should have let Emma kill him. She rubbed her forehead roughly as she thought to herself, no, killing Sidney wasn't the answer. She narrowed her eye, either she truly had changed or this baby was messing her up.

"Mayor Mills, are you sure you want us to recreate the paper work?" the manager asked.

Regina continued looking out the window, "Yes." she said simply.

Her eyes caught someone moving quickly down the sidewalk towards the alleyway. Wait a second that looked just like Felix. He turned down the alleyway next to Sidney's office, and before she had time to question what she thought he was doing, she saw Henry run in the same direction. The mayor watched the younger teen tail the older one, until he stopped at the entrance to the alleyway. After a few moments of him peeking around the corner, he pulled out his phone.

She looked down at her watch, it was entirely too early for school to have let out, so again her son had skipped. She didn't know what the hell they were doing, but she didn't have time for this.

What was she going to do with Henry? This is Emma's fault; these are her genes causing his insubordination, she thought to herself. What other explanation could there be? She shook her head, remembering that the baby in her over sized belly was half Emma's. Well, this is going to be fun.

She twisted her wrist and disappeared in her purple cloud, only to reappear next to Henry. The younger boy jumped grabbing his chest, "Mom!"

The mayor crossed her arms over her chest and raised an eyebrow, "Why are you two not in school?"

"We were, but I saw Felix sneak out so I followed him here." Henry said.

"Why did he come here?" She asked.

"I don't know, but I called Emma." he said, peeking back around the corner.

This would break her lover's heart for sure, she had to get inside and find out what was going on before the blonde arrived. She just hoped it wasn't what it seemed.

She grabbed the teen by the arm, "We are going in, but under a cloaking spell. I need to know what is going on." They disappeared from the street and then invisibly reappeared inside the building.

"You are useless. How did you survive in Neverland?" Sidney hissed.

"I couldn't get out of the house that night to go and get the papers. I was told there was a spell on all of the windows and doors, but it doesn't matter, I've changed my mind." Felix said.

Regina remembered the frightened look that had been in the boy's eyes when she looked at him. She shook her head, again Emma trying to help. Things have a habit of going a little sideways when Emma was trying to help.

"You've changed your mind? I thought you wanted to go back to Neverland with your pack of mangy lost boys." the man asked while digging through a box on the counter.

"The lost boys are happy with their families here, and I'm tired of stealing." the teenager stated.

Sidney looked up from his box, "Oh, I see, you think the mayor and the sheriff are going to bring you in on their sick little family? Boy you have a lot to learn about the Evil Queen."

"She's not evil anymore." his voice cracked.

"Ha!" the man blurted out, "I spent many years along side of Queen Regina. She is extraordinarily gifted in the art of manipulation. I would have done anything for her to love me. Oh, and I did."

"Look, whatever happened to you, I'm sure it sucked, but I am through. I don't want to hurt any of them, and I don't want to leave." Felix said.

"Look here you little shit, they don't want you. You are almost eighteen, no one wants you." He glared at the boy.

Regina could see the hurt and tears in the older boy's eyes, and she couldn't take it anymore. With a wave of her hand the spell was dropped and she looked at Sidney, "What are you doing Sidney?"

He jumped, but attempted to remain calm, "Madam Mayor, what's brings you out today. I hear there was a little paper mix up across the street."

Fear had returned to Felix's eyes, but not the same fear she had seen back at the house. She looked at him, "Felix how was school?"

"I can explain Miss Mills." he said looking from her to Henry with shame.

"No need, I have heard enough." she said, returning her gaze to the journalist.

"Sidney, let it go. I'm sorry I used you, okay, but this has to stop. What are you hoping to accomplish?" she said.

He smiled widely, "You're sorry? I was, am madly in love with you and you threw me away. You played me so hard." he said and then looked at Henry, "Do you know that your mother slept with me once." he smiled, "It was right before I killed your Great Grandfather for her. After that she kept me strung along with empty promises, oh and did I mention how she locked me in a mirror. Then her lesbian lover wants to defend her, and embarrass me in front of the whole town. Do you know what that feels like? Miss Swan needs to be taught a lesson."

"You should have left Storybrooke when Elsa's and Ana's aunt let you go. You were the idiot that hung on when you should have let go a long time ago." Henry said.

"Felix come on, let's go home." Regina said, gesturing to the older boy to come closer.

"The Evil Queen will never love you boy." Sidney said to the boy, "She threw me away; she will throw you away too."

"No she won't man." Henry said looking at the older teen, "She and Emma want you to stay, but he messed up all of the paper work."

Felix looked up at the other man, "You lied."

"She is the liar. She just wants you to believe that." the man said, his eyes reflecting a madness, as they danced wildly.

Felix looked back at the mayor, "He already burned all of the papers, so now the lost boy's chances of having families are ruined."

Regina smiled softly as she watched tears well up in his eyes, "No there not. I have one of the case workers drawing up new ones as we speak."

Henry looked at his mother with a question, "If you have them drawing up new papers, then why does it matter if Sidney took them in the first place."

"Because it is somewhat illegal to have them recreated, and he could hold that over my head. I haven't been reestablished in good standings with the members of this community long enough and they would see it as a selfish act." the brunette said.

"Don't you get it; she took you away from me. You are mine." Sidney seemed to chant more to himself than to anyone else. He then motioned his hand towards Regina's midsection and laughed, "And then the dyke knocks you up. You get pregnant by another female, and my wanting you seems delusional?" he began laughing harder. Tears were falling from his eyes as his maddening laughter rolled out.

Regina clenched her teeth at his reference to Emma, but she stayed silent. She knew it was her fault that he was so obsessed with her. Had she not manipulated and used him, he may not be this way, but now he had completely lost his mind.

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It had been a long day. Emma and David had made it to the Mirror where they arrested Sidney. Regina had suggested they put him in the basement of the hospital. That is where they kept the mentally insane, or in the past it was where the mayor liked to lock up innocent people for her own gain. This was not one of those times.

Regina had filled the sheriff in on what had happened with the paper work and Felix's connection to it all. She made sure to tell her how she knew Felix had a change of heart and that he didn't want to be part of it.

Regina had made a pit stop by the school on her way home to give the correct paperwork for Felix to Mr. Cooper. He had told her of the boy's skipping class and she told him that it was a family emergency and that there was miscommunication between her the two teens about her speaking to the school so they could leave. They thought she had, but she forgot…Yada, yada, yada. He accepted the lie, but told her that she needed to be more mindful of things so as not to get the boys into trouble. Imagine that, someone telling her to be mindful. She smiled to herself.

On her way home she stopped by Granny's to grab dinner for everyone. She was too tired to cook and her back was killing her. She knew her family would not have a problem eating greasy cheeseburger and salty fries.

Emma had let the boys meet up with her at the station after she and David had delivered Sidney to the hospital. Regina hadn't seen either boy since then and hoped everyone was still getting along all right after the day's event.

She walked into the house, tossing her keys into the change dish in the entryways as she carried the two paper bags from Granny's. The house was quiet and at first she wondered if they were even here, when she heard shouting.

"You'll never take me alive, copper!" Felix yelled at the top of the stairs.

"Then I'll kill you if I must!" Emma yelled dramatically from somewhere upstairs.

Glancing to her left, she saw Henry on the floor in a pretend death, and her couch cushions were thrown all over the living room.

Feet began banging down the stairs as Emma chased the other boy with a nerf gun. Felix was laughing and looked up noticing the mayor and his eyes grew wide as he skidded to a stop only a few feet from her.

"I got you now!" Emma said, pulling the trigger on the gun, causing a neon orange nerf bullet to soar past the mayor's head.

As Emma noticed the mayor, Regina said, "I do hope for the safety of our town, hope that your aim is better than that."

Emma smiled walking closer to give her a kiss and to taking the bags, "Hey, gorgeous."

"Hey, Mom." Henry called from the living room, getting up from the floor to join them.

Felix reached for her briefcase she was holding and grabbed it, "Bring that into the kitchen with us, Felix. I need to talk to everyone about something."

He looked at her for a second, but then did what he was told.

Emma had placed the food down on the table and started pulling the Styrofoam containers out. Henry and Felix went to grab sodas from the fridge, making sure to grab the mayor water.

Once everyone was seated and had started eating, she said, "Felix? Do you like being here with us?"

The boy looked up in surprise at the question, "I really am sorry Miss Mills. I didn't do what he wanted of me, please don't make me leave."

Emma let her eyes go from the boy to Regina with her own fears of where this conversation was going.

Henry looked at her, "Come on Mom, we saw that he was innocent."

She cleared her throat, "Just answer the question please?"

Felix swallowed with worried on his face, "Yes, I do."

Her face expressed seriousness, "I went by the school and got the paperwork straightened out. I want you two to know that I lied for you about you skipping today. That ends now. If there is a problem in the future, you are to call me or Emma immediately, instead of walking out, do I make myself clear?"

Both boys nodded, "Yes, ma'am."

Regina reached into her briefcase and pulled out a piece of paper, as she passed it to Felix she said, "With this new paperwork, you will have to learn to spell a different name."

Felix glanced up in confusion as he took the paper. His eye grew wide and a smile swept across his features, "Are you serious!" He stood up quickly and put his hand on his head in disbelief. He quickly grabbed the older woman in a tight embrace before letting her go again.

Emma looked at the mayor and then at Felix, "What is it?"

Henry reached over and took the paper. Emma stood to read over his shoulder. The paper was a copy of an adoption form with the name Felix Swan-Mills on it. Emma's face lit up and Henry laughed.

The blonde ran over to Regina and kissed her on the cheek, "Is this for real?"

Regina laughed, "Of course it is for real. Now the paper work will still take a little bit of time for the adoption to become official, however, your name has legally been changed."

Felix turned to Henry with a tear rolling down his cheek, "And you are okay with this?"

Henry smiled holding his hand out. The other boy clasped it and they pulled each other in for a bro hug, "Welcome home big brother."

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Emma walked through the house turning lights off as she went. The boys had gone to bed a while ago, but she had some paperwork to finish up. She could not believe that Felix was now their son. She hadn't stopped smiling since dinner, nor had the older boy.

She headed up the stairs and stopped to check on each boy. Henry was asleep, snoring loudly. She wondered if she was like that when she slept or if he got it from Neal. It had been so many years ago, she couldn't remember the man's sleeping habits.

She opened Felix's door and could hear a very low snore. Her eyes fell to his binder that lay on the floor by his backpack. He had written his name out, 'Felix Swan-Mills'. She smiled at it, and knew that this is where he belonged.

Emma closed the boy's door quietly and headed for Regina's room. The brunette had showered and put on a silky night dress that came down to her knees. It would usually be a little longer, but now her swollen belly caused it to rise and appear shorter.

The blonde walked over to the mayor who was drying her hair with her towel, she grabbed her in her arms and pressed her lips to the full one. She kissed her passionately and at first the older woman returned the kiss, moaning into the sheriff's mouth, but then she pulled away, "Wow, if I knew the adoption papers would have gotten this reaction, then I would have adopted a few more children."

Emma laughed, but then said, "You are the most amazing woman I have ever met."

"I try" Regina smiled. "I know how much this meant to you and how much it hurt you to think he would be left on his own. I like him being here and Henry seems to like it as well. So, we have an instant family."

Emma smiled at her sweetly, "Are we a family? I mean, I know you love me, but I don't even know what to call you or to refer to you by when I am around other people." she shook her head in confusion as she spoke.

The blonde plopped down on the edge of the bed and Regina slid down to her knees between the blonde's legs with her hands on her thighs, "Of course we are a family. I would like to think that we are girlfriends or maybe even something more."

Emma smiled, "Girlfriends as in we are together and not girlfriends as in friends, right?"

Regina laughed, "I have never had a girlfriend in either sense, but I mean girlfriend as in together. Which reminds me, you should take the boys after school one day to go and get the rest of your stuff from your parents' house." The mayor adjusted herself as her face winced in pain.

"Come up here and let me heal you." Emma said, pulling on the older woman's wrist.

"Oh, no you don't. The last time you healed me, I got a little more than I bargained for." She laughed, "Besides that, it's my turn to please you."

The mayor's voice was seductive and it made the blonde's stomach flutter, she was pretty sure that her panties were suddenly wet. Regina hands slowly rubbed Emma's thighs as the blonde leaned down to take the other woman's lips. Her lips moved hungrily over the blondes. The mayor's tongue slipped passed the other woman's lips and Emma moaned at the contact.

The kiss grew more passionate as Regina's hand snaked its way up to the blonde's belt, slowly unfastening it. Emma was thankful that she had taken her boots off while she was downstairs.

The kiss became softer and more loving, but just as intense. The sheriff could kiss Regina's lips all day and be content.

Nimble fingers were now unbuttoning her jeans with one hand, as she ran her other hand up the crotch of the blonde's jeans, causing her to cry out as she put pressure at the apex of her thighs. Emma involuntarily bucked her hips forwards. She was sure that she had soaked through the fabric of her pants by now. Regina's beautiful lips moved with the blonde's and she occasionally nipped at the other woman's bottom lip with her teeth.

"God, you are going to be the death of me." Emma breath out as the mayor slowly pulled her zipper down. The sound alone sent a shiver up the sheriff's spine.

Regina broke the kiss and smiled, as she tugged at the waist of the jeans and the panties beneath. Emma lifted her hips off of the mattress so that the queen could slide the pants and underwear down the other woman's legs and pull them off. She gently pushed the blonde's legs apart as she watched her face.

The sheriff blushed slightly under the gorgeous woman's gaze, and chewed on her bottom lip. The brunette slowly leaned forward until Emma could feel her breath hitting the wet arousal of her sex and she moaned softly.

Without warning the mayor parted the blonde's lower lips, as she ran her tongue gently from the bottom to the top of her sex letting her tongue linger over Emma's swollen clit. Emma arched her back up off of the bed with a throaty moan.

That was all the encouragement the brunette needed; she sucked the bundle of nerves into her mouth and let her tongue dance over it. Emma placed her hand on the older woman's head, not for guidance but for support.

The hand Emma had in the dark locks was glowing, but Emma didn't care, she couldn't think clearly at this time. Suddenly the brunette moaned loudly while her mouth was still attached to Emma's sex.

The more the brunette sucked and hummed over her bundle of nerves the closer she came to the edge. She was working her hips in rhythm with Regina's mouth, when she felt the brunette's finger enter her, another loud moan escaped and she knew she was close.

Regina was moaning now, as she rocked her hips in sync with the sheriff's. The mayor moaned, trying to stay focused on her task, but finding it difficult to concentrate. It felt as though everything she was doing to Emma was happening to her.

Finally Emma's body began to spasm as she cried out, followed by the mayor. The blonde fell back on the bed as she panted, "Oh my fucking God."

Regina let her body fall limply over the blonde's lap, "You're telling me."


	41. Chapter 41

Thank you again to the amazing GASeeker on AKA DrKnow2U on Tumblr AKA DrKnow on AO3, you rock! Thank you to all of the readers who are still following the story.

 **Chapter41**

A smile crept onto the brunette's face as she felt the warmth of the sheriff's skin under her head. She slowly moved her face upwards to get a view of the blonde. Regina could tell she was still asleep by the steady rise and fall of her chest. Their lovemaking had continued into the early morning hours and only had ended due to the fact they were exhausted and somewhat sore.

Regina glanced up to look at the clock, "Shit! Emma, Honey, you need to get up it is after eight."

The mayor went to get up and realized that was not possible. Her belly had grown again, but now she was too big to sit up.

Emma groaned from her side of the bed, "Do we have to get up? Can't we just play hooky or something today?"

Regina rolled her body to the edge of the bed until she was able to let her feet hang down to touch the floor. She was then able to roll off and stand up, "Emma, we have to set an example for the boys, get up."

The mayor grabbed her robe from the hook on the bathroom door and pulled it on. Luckily, it was designed to be oversized, which meant that it barely fit her new size. She let out a loud sigh and headed for the boys' rooms.

She came to Felix's door first and knocked before opening it. The older boy was not there. Glancing further up the hall, she could see Henry's door open.

"Henry?" she called. There was no answer, so she walked downstairs.

Walking into the kitchen, she could see that the boys had eaten cereal, because there were two bowls in the sink and droplets of milk on the island. She shook her head. Henry was notorious for leaving messes, now there would be two Henrys. The thought caused a smile to form on her lips. She grabbed a wet sponge from the sink to wipe the milk up and noticed a note on the fridge.

Walking over she slid it out from under the magnet, ' _Mom, Felix and I left for school. I figured you and Emma needed your rest after Felix said he heard sounds from your room last night when he went to the bathroom. See you after school, love you Henry.'_ Scribbled at the bottom it said, _'love Felix'._

The mayor blushed at knowing the teen had heard them, but smiled at his signature. She was very happy that they had been able to get themselves up and to school on time. It was a little saddening to know that Henry didn't need her as much since he was getting older.

A knock on the front door, took her from her thoughts. She sat the note down and walked to the front door and opened it. Mary Margret stood with a big smile on her face. Even though the two women had seemed to put everything behind them and start new, the mayor would be lying if she said that the always happy Snow White wasn't a little disconcerting this soon before coffee.

"Snow." she said, wearing a polite smile.

"Regina, hi." the younger brunette said, her eyebrows disappearing into her hairline as she saw Regina's stomach, "Oh wow! You look like you are pregnant with twins."

"Well, thank you Snow, nice way to boost a lady's confidence. Would you like to come in?" Regina asked in a flat tone.

The other woman smiled and walked into the house following the older brunette into the kitchen. Regina busied herself with making coffee.

"I'm sorry for how that sounded, Regina, it's just a bit of a shock to see how fast the baby is growing." Mary Margret said. Before Regina could come back with some snide remark, the younger woman continued, "I actually came by to let you know I'm throwing you a baby shower, and by the look of it, we will be having it much sooner."

Regina turned to look at the other woman with a genuine smile. She had been so busy worrying about everything else she had forgotten about a shower; hell, she was trying to remember what all she needed in order to take care of a baby.

"That's very kind of you, thank you." Regina said. "With everything that has been happening lately, we haven't had time to even think about that kind of stuff."

"What kind of stuff?" Emma asked as she bounced into the kitchen grabbing a cup from the cabinet. Glancing up at her mother, she smiled, "Hey mom."

"Hey, Em. I was just telling Regina that I am throwing her a baby shower." Snow said.

"That's great, Mom." Emma said as she walked up behind Regina, placing a soft kiss to the side of her neck. She turned towards the blonde and she gasped, "Oh god. We are just having one, right?"

Regina's face fell and she narrowed her eyes, "There is only one. What are you trying to say?"

Emma's face went white when she realized how her words must have sounded, "No, I didn't mean you look bad or anything Honey, I just meant that I don't think I was that big when I was pregnant with Henry."

Regina took her lover's cup and turned to pour coffee into it, then passed it back, "I am going to go see Dr. Whale in a little while and make sure everything is all right. Did you wish to attend?"

Emma could tell the older woman was a little upset, "Of course, just tell me the time and I will be there."

Regina collected two more cups and poured coffee into them and carried them to the table. She wasn't feeling any pain, but she felt very fat and uncomfortable and she thought it might be better if she sat down.

Mary Margret followed suit and pulled out a chair. Emma took another sip of her coffee as she started making some toast, "So when are you planning on throwing the shower?" she asked her mother as she grabbed the jam from the fridge.

Snow had sat down, "Well, I was going to try for this weekend, but now I'm thinking there may not be time for that."

Emma looked at her lover then back to her mother, "Yeah, sooner would probably be better." The blonde walked over to the mayor and leaned in to kiss her, "Call me with the time for the doctor." she smiled, said bye to her mother and walked out the door with her coffee and toast in hand.

After a few minutes, Snow asked, "So, how are things going?"

Regina took a sip of her coffee trying to hide the smile she felt, "Things are good. We are adopting Felix."

Snow gasped but smiled, "That's wonderful. How is Henry dealing with all of this?"

"He's happy about it all actually. He is overjoyed to be a big brother and he is happy to have a big brother. He's been great."

Mary Margret gave a tight smile, putting her cup down on the table; she reached over and squeezed Regina's hand, "How are you doing?"

Regina smiled back, but didn't let their eyes meet, "I'm good."

The shorter haired brunette narrowed her eyes, "You know, you don't always have to put on a show."

The mayor took another sip of her coffee and then sat her cup down on the table. She sighed, "I am a little scared about the baby coming so soon. I mean I haven't even had a chance to actually go through the stages properly. Now the baby will be here soon, and we are not even close to prepared. We haven't even talked about a name. I don't know Snow, what am I supposed to do?"

"Have you talked about this with Emma? " Mary Margret asked.

Regina absentmindedly rubbed her hands over her abdomen, "A little."

"And what did she say?" Snow looked at her.

"She told me that we would get through this, and that she will be beside me." the mayor said, picking up her mug and taking a sip.

Snow reached out and touched Regina's hand again, "You know she's right. Emma loves you, and she would walk through the pits of Hell for you." She pulled her hand back and placed it in her lap after she watched Regina nod with a smile, "What about Felix? You didn't go through all of this just for Emma, did you?"

Regina smiled again, "Partly, yes, but I agreed with her about the situation and I too believe the boy only needs to be given the right chance, and he fits in here. So no, I'm not overwhelmed because of the adoption."

Snow remained silent and took a couple sips from her coffee. Regina looked up at the clock on the microwave, "I should probably get dressed and go see Dr. Whale." She started to get up from the chair and had to fight to sit up enough to get to her feet, "Maybe you can come with me."

Snow let out a squeal as she grinned, "Yes, I would love to."

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Emma had gotten the ass eye from Fredrick when she had finally arrived at work. She had completely forgotten that David had hired him for the night shift, and he had been waiting three extra hours for her to get to the station to relieve him. She had apologized to him profusely, but he didn't seem to care, he just wanted to go home and they had Leroy back in a cell for the night so he couldn't leave.

Ruby popped her head around the doorway and peered in, "You have the strangest habit of pissing people off, don't you?" she asked with a laugh.

Emma looked up from the paper she was reading, "Ruby? What are you doing here? I thought you worked tonight."

"I do, normally, but David wanted me to trade with whatever that new guy's name is, the one that was a guard from the Dark Kingdom." the waitress said, as she tried to remember.

"Clinton." Emma said looking back down to her paper.

"Yeah, that's him." Ruby said, snapping her fingers, "So what is Fredrick's problem?"

Emma looked up and sighed, "I didn't know we had an inmate and I was like three hours late this morning."

Ruby winced, "Oh. I think he and Kathryn are trying to have a baby and she put him on a tight schedule."

"See, why couldn't he call me? I didn't know that." she said, throwing her hands up dramatically.

Ruby laughed, walking over to the other desk and put her jacket on the back of the chair, "I'm sure it's okay. He's just a little stressed, I'm sure. It can't be easy having to hump on command."

Emma chuckled, "I understand. Well, the stressed part, I mean."

"Oh, and David said to tell you, he would be in a little later, they are doing some kind of daddy day at Neal's daycare, and he said to tell you Mary Margret is with Regina at the hospital." the wolf said, as she sat down in the desk chair.

"What? Regina is supposed to call me so I can go with her." Emma said confused.

She felt a little hurt that the brunette didn't say anything. Maybe something was wrong and they didn't want to worry her. Images of all sorts of bad scenarios of Regina being hurt flashed in her mind.

Emma stood up grabbing her jacket, "I'll be back, I have to go and check on Regina."

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Henry finished his quiz first, and flipped his paper over. He glanced around the room at his classmates who were all still writing their answers down on their worksheets. His eyes fell on Ava who turned her paper over and smiled brightly at him. Henry blushed and looked away.

The teacher was grading another class' papers and had his head down. A piece of paper flew across the desks and hit Henry in the arm, then landing on the floor by his foot. He looked up and noticed Ava smiling at him again.

Henry reached down and picked the paper up. It was only slightly wadded, so Henry started unfolding it. Inside was a message from Ava, ' _Do you like me?'_ she had made sure not to sign it in case it was confiscated.

The boy's face drained of all color and his heart was now beating fast in his chest. How was he supposed to answer that? Of course he liked her, but he wasn't sure he could tell her that. She always seemed to look at him as the dorky kid, and Henry was sure that she would never want to be anything more than a friend. He glanced up at the teacher then picked up his pencil and wrote, _'Why, do you like me?'_ He glanced back at the teacher as he wadded the paper back up, when the teacher was still consumed by his work; the boy threw the paper back to her.

Henry had had a crush on Ava since he met her and her brother in the store that day, but he never thought in a million years he would ever admit it. She had never acted as though she thought of him as anything other than her friend.

The paper flew back landing on his desk. Glancing at the teacher, he opened the paper while he held his breathe, ' _Yes.'_ was all that it said.

Henry looked over at her, and she smiled back, causing his blush to run up his neck and into his cheeks, but by whatever powers, he was able to smile back.

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Regina took a deep breath as she disrobed and pulled the blue gown on, leaving the open side to the front, per the doctor's instruction. She leaned back on the exam table. The mayor wasn't sure this wouldn't break her. She wasn't prepared for any of this. She wasn't ready to have a baby, her house wasn't ready.

"Oh my God! I forgot to call Emma. Snow, please call her." the older woman said with tears welling up in her eyes. The blonde was going to be so upset with her. It wasn't that she forgot about the sheriff, it was just she was so worried about the baby in general that it had slipped her mind. She had never had to worry about someone other than Henry, so this all was a little new to her.

Mary Margret pulled her phone out of her pocket, just as Emma yanked the door open and walked in. She was out of breath, which let the mayor know she had run.

"What's wrong? Are you okay?" the blonde asked, rushing up to her, placing her hands on the brunette's cheeks.

A tear slipped down Regina cheek as she said, "I'm sorry, I forgot to call you." Tears were now falling freely, "I was worried about the baby and us not being prepared and I forgot."

Emma smiled, "It's okay, shh. I know you're way past stressed, but everything will be fine. I love you, and I'm here."

Regina wiped a few tears away with her hand as Emma leaned in and kissed her. Pulling back, the blonde noticed her mother who was typing away on her phone.

"I'll be right back; I need to make a call." Snow said leaving the room.

Emma looked back to Regina, "I'm here for you, talk to me, please."

Regina wiped the remainder of her tears away and took a shaky breath, "I'm scared. I don't know a lot about giving birth. I don't have anything for the baby; we haven't even made him a nursery, and decided on a name. Emma we haven't even talked about names." she quickly wiped new tears away.

The blonde took one of Regina's hands in her own, "Everything will fall into place, I will personally make sure of it. As far as a name, let's talk about it now."

Brown eyes met green ones, "Really?"

Emma laughed, "Of course. Now, what about Kevin?"

Regina gave the blonde a disgusted looked, "No."

"Okay, what about John, or Johnathan?" she asked.

"Um, no and no", the mayor said.

Emma scratched her head, "Maybe we should think of a name that means something to us."

Regina nodded her head, but then sighed.

The blonde squeezed her hand, "Okay, what about this. You pick the first name, and I'll pick his middle name, but we don't have to pick it today."

The mayor looked at the blonde with worry, "What if he comes before we have a name?"

"Hey, it doesn't matter. His name doesn't matter immediately, it's not like he will answer to it any time soon anyway." she said jokingly.

Regina laughed, slapping the blonde in the arm.

The doctor walked in, "Good morning ladies. How is everyone doing?"

Emma answered, "Good doctor."

He walked over to Regina and gently opened her gown revealing her abdomen, "Wow he has grown a lot in the last couple of days." He walked over to the small upright cabinet in the room and opened it, pulling out a pair of latex gloves, "I am going to do a quick exam to ensure everything is going well, and then we will get out the ultrasound and have a look at the little guy."

The doctor slid his hand up to cup Regina's breast with both hands, letting his finger simultaneously press down, to ensure there were no lumps, "How are the breast doing? Still sore?"

Regina still held Emma hand and answered, "They have been a little sensitive, but they are fine at the moment, Emma has been healing me to help with any pain."

He glanced up at Emma and smiled, "That's good."

Regina blushed, but didn't say anything else.

Dr. Whale moved down to the end of the table, "If you will put your feet in these stirrups and move closer to the end of the table for me, we will check your cervix."

Regina hated this part. It made her feel vulnerable, and after everything that had happened she was extremely uncomfortable. Her only saving grace was that Emma was here with her.

As he slid his finger into place, pressing firmly on her lower abdomen with his other hand, she squeezed Emma's hand tightly. She closed her eyes, trying to picture happy thoughts.

Only seconds later he removed his hands from her body and took his gloves off throwing them into the trash, "You are dilated to two and a half, right now."

Regina wanted to cry, she didn't even know fully what that meant. It wasn't like she was part of the wives club where they sat around sipping tea as they talked about their pregnancies with one another.

The mayor was relieved when her girlfriend spoke up, "What does that mean when it comes to this pregnancy?"

"Well, typically that would mean that the baby could come in a week, but for you he could be here in a couple of days." Dr. Whale answered.

Regina squeezed the blonde's hand again as she sighed. Emma leaned down and kissed her forehead, "Everything will be okay."

"You can scoot back now Miss Mills. Now we will see what the ultrasound shows." the doctor said.

The mayor scooted back on the hard examination bed. The blonde reached over making sure her gown stayed closed and didn't reveal her naked chest.

The doctor moved his stool closer to the side of the bed where the machine was and sat down. He squeezed out some gel and placed the wand firmly against her belly for more time than Regina thought he needed, she said, "Please tell me there is only one."

He laughed, "I'm sorry, it is just amazing at how fast this child is developing, and he is already in position. Yes, there is only one baby."

The brunette let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. She could see the baby pretty well on the monitor. She could make out his arms, legs and even his little face. It was amazing. Emma pulled the mayor's hand up to her lips and kissed it. Regina could see the happiness in her eyes and she felt so much better.

The doctor had collected his things and left the room in order for Regina to get dressed. Emma helped her off of the table, and then assisted her in putting on her underwear and bra. The blonde helped her into her pants and shoes while the mayor buttoned her shirt.

Snow walked back into the room, "Sorry, I had a few calls to make. The baby shower is tonight at Granny's."

Regina looked panicked, "How did you manage to get Granny to agree with tonight?"

Snow smiled, "Don't worry about that, just know she is excited and you two are expected by seven."

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Henry leaned up against the gatepost of the school as he waited for Felix. School had just let out and the younger boy knew that it would take the other boy a few minutes to get to him from across the school where his last class was located.

He kicked a rock with his shoe and watched it bounce across the concrete.

"What are you still doing here?" Ava's voice rang out from behind him.

He spun around and gave a nervous smile, "I'm waiting for Felix."

She readjusted her backpack on her shoulder, "What are you two like bffs now?"

Henry knew could tell she was joking, "Well, more like brothers."

"How did that happen?" she asked.

"My moms are adopting him." he said.

She smiled, "That's cool."

There was a long moment of silence and Henry could hear his heart beating in his ears. He had no clue as to what to say to her now that they both admitted they liked each other. There were little trickles of sweat now running down the boy's back even in the chilly weather.

"Well, I have to go, but maybe you could text me later." she said looking down at the ground.

Henry's eyes shot up, glancing at her face, "Yeah, sure. That would be awesome."

She smiled shyly at him and then stepped off of the curb to walk towards her dad's tow truck that was pulling in.

He watched her get into the truck and wave at him. He smiled and waved bye.

"So, did you ask her out?" Felix asked as he stepped up beside his brother.

Henry looked up at him, "Huh?"

"Dude, you have it bad for that girl, and she has it bad for you." he said nudging the younger boy with his elbow.

Henry grinned up almost in a daze, "She said she likes me."

Felix laughed, putting his arm around the younger boy's neck, "Come on man. I have to go by the library before we go home."

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Regina had said she was swinging by the convent, and Mary Margret had to go to the diner to start getting things ready for the baby shower. Emma had offered to help, since David and Ruby had the station under control, but she insisted she had everything handled.

Emma was feeling a little useless. Regina told her that going to the convent was something she needed to do alone, and the boys had things to do after school. After swinging by the diner for an afternoon cup of coffee to go, she took a stroll out by the docks.

The weather was getting cooler day by day and the warm paper cup felt good in her hands. The blonde leaned against the metal railing as the waves gently beat the side of the barrier, making slight sloshing sounds. So much had gone on in the short time that had passed. She was glad that a lot of good had come from all of the bad, but it was still much to take in all at once. The sheriff hadn't been able to let it all soak in, because when one thing seemed to be under control, the next came crashing into them.

"It's a beautiful afternoon, wouldn't you agree sheriff?" Will said, stepping up beside her and leaning his forearms against the same railing.

She smiled, glancing up at him, "That it is."

He turned leaning his lower back and resting his elbows on the rail, "I hear the mayor is pregnant."

Emma mimicked Will's position, "Yep, she is." she noticed his face drop and added, "But it's mine, not Robin's."

He looked up at her questionably, "Yours?"

The blonde let out a small laugh, "It's a magic thing."

He nodded and smiled back, "Oh, okay. In that case, I guess congratulations are in order."

"Thanks." she said, "I haven't seen you around in a while, where have you been hiding?"

He stood and slid his hands into his coat pockets, "I went to Robin's camp to visit with Marion and the men after the whole bad rum incident."

His voice seemed to change when he spoke Marion's name and Emma caught it, raising an eyebrow in understanding, "Ah, gotcha." she smiled and stood up sliding her own hands into her pockets in the hope that they would warm up after the sharp cold Atlantic wind had assaulted them.

"What?" he asked, "I just needed to tell her how sorry I was for never standing up to Robin when it came to her."

Emma looked at him and could see the sadness in his eyes, "You didn't know how he was."

He turned and looked out over the water, "No, but I should have. Robin was my best friend. Thinking back on it now, I should have known something was wrong when she always seemed to cower in his presence."

Emma knew that no matter what she said to him, it wouldn't help him fight his own demons. She still had many of her own demons that she was fighting, so instead of digging deeper she asked, "So, how are Marion and Roland doing?"

He took a deep breath and then let it out slowly, "She has always been stronger than most men, and seems to be doing well. Roland misses his dad, but other than that he seems good. He is still a happy kid."

Emma nodded and turned towards him, "That's good. How are you?"

Will shrugged, "Oh, I'm surviving. Marion never liked us to drink, so after the rum thing, the Merry Men and I all took a vow that we wouldn't drink anymore."

"That's good. The bartender at the Rabbit Hole will disagree, but I'm sure Marion is happy with the decision." she said, smiling up at the taller man.

He smiled back, "Yeah, she is actually. Even though Roland's real dad is gone, we are going to make sure he has the rest of us blokes to look up to."

"You're in love with her." the sheriff said, tilting her head slightly.

The man's cheeks flushed, but he smiled, "Always have been. Just back then, she was Robin's girl. I had Anastasia, and I thought that was how it was supposed to be."

"Have you told her?" she asked.

He shook his head and sighed, "No. It's too soon. She has enough things to worry about, without worrying about who is hounding after her."

The blond reached out and place her hand on his shoulder lightly, "Don't wait too long my friend, or someone else will beat you to it."

He smiled at her, but the look in his eye was far away, "I hear you." He gave a single soft pat to her upper arm, "I gotta go, but congratulations on the baby."

As he turned and started to walk away, Emma called, "Hey, Mary Margret is throwing a baby shower tonight at the diner, if you wanted to bring Marion and Roland."

"I thought those things were only for woman?" he asked.

"Since when do the people of this town do anything according to normal, bedsides, David will be there." she smiled.

He nodded and chuckled, "I'll ask her. Later Swan."

"Later." she said, turning back to face the water as he walked off.

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Regina waited in the small garden at the convent for the fairy to appear. Astrid said she would be there soon, but that was twenty minutes ago. The mayor's patience was running thin. The older fairy always had to act all high and mighty, not to mention Regina and she had never gotten along. Blue always seemed to be missing some crucial human social skills when it came to being friendly and in many cases, politeness.

The sad look in Astrid's eye did not go unnoticed, as she left the mayor to go and alert the Mother Superior of her arrival. The brunette normally wouldn't think twice about some taboo love affair, but after everything that had happened, not to mention being pregnant, this situation really bothered her.

"Madam Mayor." Blue's voice greeted.

Regina stood from her position on the bench, and noticed the surprised expression on the fairy's face, "Blue." she greeted back.

"What can I do for you today?" the fairy's lips formed a smile that her eyes didn't show.

The mayor looked at the other woman, trying to smile, "We need to talk about Astrid and Leroy."

Blue narrowed her eyes, "Has something else happened? I have made sure that someone has their eye on Nova at all times."

Regina shook her head, "No, nothing else has happened. I mean I want to talk about their relationship."

The fairy tilted her head, "There is no relationship. She has ended it, and knows that fairies and dwarves cannot be together."

"Why not?" Regina asked flatly.

"Because fairies and dwarves do not have relationships with each other, they may only have relationships with their own kind." Blue said in a matter of fact tone.

Regina could feel her blood pressure rising, "Who made that rule?"

The head fairy seemed a little confused at the mayor's questions, "It has always been that way."

"How many fairies have there been that have fallen in love with a dwarf?" the brunette asked as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"None. Fairies and dwarves do not have the capability to fall in love, they can't even mate." the Mother Superior said, with a small amount of annoyance in her tone.

"Obviously it has happened now, and what does it matter if they can mate or not? You do not have to be able to produce offspring to be in love." Regina raised her voice.

Blue stiffened in her posture, "This is not your concern Mayor Mills."

"The hell it isn't, this is my town, and it is my job to look after all of its inhabitants." Regina said, stepping closer as she narrowed her eyes.

Blue stared at her for a moment, and then forced a small smile, "Why do you care? Wasn't it your motto to destroy everyone's happiness?"

Regina dropped her arms and sighed, "Yes, but I was stupid and selfish. Don't do this to them Blue. Let them have what no other fairy or dwarf has ever had. If my memory serves me correctly, Astrid is not that good of a fairy anyway, and fairy dust doesn't need to be anywhere near her."

Blue laughed, "You do not understand because you are not a fairy. Rules are rules Regina." She turned to storm off, but the mayor grabbed her arm, causing her to whip around to glare at the queen.

"Please Blue; you have to let them be together. Don't be like me; let them choose their own fate. Look at me and Emma. Who would have ever thought that the Savior would fall in love with the Evil Queen?" Regina's voice cracked and tears welled up in her eyes.

Blue seemed to be in a state of shock at the other woman's plea, "I won't discuss this any further." she said and marched off.

A tear slid down the brunette's cheek as she watched the Mother Superior, leave her standing alone in the garden.


	42. Chapter 42

**Another huge shot out to GASeeker aka DrKnow2U aka DrKnow, thank you for your help!**

 **Chapter42**

Emma had gone back to the station to finish her paperwork from earlier this morning. She wasn't needed there for actual police work, but she didn't want to go home, besides, she had a notion that the short haired brunette wanted her to stay away from the house.

As she sat behind her desk, scribbling her signature to some documents, she glanced over to the cell that Leroy was housed in. He had his forearms resting through the bars and his forehead pressed against the cold metal. He was a million miles away.

"What did you get picked up for this time?" she asked.

The bearded man didn't look up, he said, "Trespassing, I think."

Emma could hear the hollow sound in his voice, "The convent, I assume."

"She won't see me. She won't even talk to me anymore." he said, seeming to say it to himself.

Emma felt for him. She knew what it was like being in love with someone and not being able to be with them for one reason or another. She had no clues as to what to say to him, but she knew that if she let him out, he would be back later tonight, and probably drunk.

She stood up and walked over to the cell. Pulling out her keys, she unlocked the door and let it swing open.

"You're letting me out already? I don't usually get out for another couple of hours." he said.

She walked back to her desk and pulled open the bottom draw. Reaching inside she pulled out a bottle of whiskey and two glasses that David kept for emergencies.

She placed them on the table and unscrewed the cap, "You might as well drink here for free, rather than spend all your money at the Rabbit Hole, and hey, it saves Fredrick the trip to pick you up."

He looked surprised as he watched her pour the liquor into the glasses, "That's a good point."

He sat down in the chair in front of the desk as she handed him one of the glasses. She walked around and leaned against the desk next to him. She lifted up her glass towards him and let it clink against his as he brought his up to meet hers.

They took sips but remained silent. The sweet yet harsh liquid warmed her throat as it made its way to her stomach and she fought to keep a shiver from running up her back.

"I thought things would be different once the curse broke." he said out of nowhere. Emma didn't respond, but he continued, "I mean this isn't the Enchanted Forest, things are supposed to be different here."

The blonde let her eyes glide over his features, but she remained silent and took another sip of the amber alcohol. Her heart went out to the man, she knew the feeling all too well.

The precinct phone rang out piercing the silent station causing both of them to jump. She reached back behind her to get the receiver from the desk, "Sheriff Swan."

"Sheriff, this is Mother Superior. I need to speak with Leroy." Blue's voice said calmly.

The sheriff looked back at Leroy. She moved the phone down to her chest and while holding her hand over the mouthpiece she whispered, "It's Mother Superior, she wants to speak with you."

Leroy's narrowed his eyes, but put his glass down and took the phone from Emma, "What do you want?"

Emma couldn't hear what Blue was saying, but she could see and hear the man's dislike for the woman, "Just tell me what you have to say now."

There was a slight pause as he listened and then he said, "Fine, as soon as the sheriff releases me, I will head your way, but don't try and call the cops on me this time, the sheriff is my witness that you asked me to come." He didn't wait for the woman to reply; he just dropped the receiver down on its base and picked up his glass.

Emma waited for him to tell her what was going on, but instead he picked up his drink and took another sip.

"What was that about?" she finally asked.

He scratched his beard, "I don't know, she wants me to come by for a chat. She is probably going to show me some sort of restraining order or something."

Emma shrugged, "No restraining orders have come through here. Maybe she has good news."

Leroy rolled his eyes throwing the last of the alcohol in his glass into his mouth, "Have you met the Blue fairy, she wouldn't know good news if it slapped her upside the head."

The sheriff laughed and finished her drink. She looked up at the clock, "Go ahead and get out of here. It may be important."

He set his glass down on the edge of the desk, "And what if it's not?"

"Well then, you come back here and finish this bottle." she said with a slight smile.

He gave the same smile back and nodded his head. She watched him as he left the station.

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"You're doing really well Felix", Belle said as she checked his paper.

Henry sat at a table across the room from the two in order to read and not disturb them. Mary Margret usually helped the older boy with his reading and writing, but Belle was filling in for today.

"Okay boys," the Aussie said, raising her voice to ensure Henry heard as well, "I think that is it for today. Are you two going to the baby shower?"

The two boys looked at one another and the youngest said, "What baby shower?"

Belle laughed, "Well, it was a bit sudden, but your grandmother is throwing your mom a baby shower this evening at the diner." She glanced up at the clock on the wall, "I am about to head on over there and see if I can help. You two are welcome to join me."

"Okay." Henry answered and Felix nodded with a smile.  
They helped the beauty lock up and all three headed down the street to the diner. It was only like a block, maybe a block and a half away. Henry was suddenly feeling a little anxious; due to how fast everything was moving.

Once they had reached the diner Henry could see all of the people that were there helping. It was like the night at the town hall meeting. Some people were hanging blue ribbon, another group of people were moving tables around, and people were everywhere.

Ruby pushed passed a group of men holding a very large box out of the diner door. Felix moved quickly to get to her and take the box with a huge grin on his face, "I got that for you."

She glanced up in surprise, but smiled, "Well, thank you."

Henry shook his head and smiled at the other boy. Felix just took a box from a werewolf, who could probably bench press two of him. The younger teen had thought he might tell him later, but for now he would let him think he was being suave.

"Hey, Ruby, where do you want us?" Belle asked.

The waitress smiled, "Granny probably wants help in the kitchen, if you don't mind." She looked at the boys, "You two can help me with these lights" she gave Felix a wink and the boy almost passed out. Henry couldn't help but laugh out loud.

Regina pulled up outside the station. She wasn't feeling up to seeing anyone, but Emma. She killed the car and got out, walking towards the building. Once she entered, she noticed how quiet it was inside. So much so that she could actually hear Emma's pen etching across paper.

Once she came to the doorway, she saw the sheriff leaned over her desk, completely consumed with what she was doing. The brunette couldn't help but admire her. Just seeing her made Regina feel a little better.

"Working hard?" she asked in a lowered tone.

Emma jumped in her seat, her eyes were wide and she grabbed her chest, "Holy shit!"

Regina laughed, she hadn't intended to frighten her lover, but the reaction was still funny, "I'm sorry," she had to pause between her laughter, "I didn't know I would scare you."

Emma was able to calm herself quickly. She was now biting her lower lip with a smile on her mouth as she watched the older woman laugh. It was one of the most beautiful sounds she had ever heard.

Regina was able to stop the laughter and noticed the look on the sheriff's face, "What?"

Emma stood up and stepped closer, "You are beautiful." She kissed the other woman.

Regina tensed when she smelled the alcohol on her lover's breath, and the blonde sensed it. She stepped back and put her hand over her mouth, "Oh God, I'm sorry. Let me go and brush my teeth in the back."

The queen put up her hand to stop the younger woman, "You don't have to do that, it just startled me." She pulled the blonde back to her and kissed her again, before releasing her.

"Leroy was in here again and he was so bummed out. I just figured if he wanted to get drunk, then he should just do it here so no one got the call later to go and pick him up." she explained.

The mayor nodded her head in understanding, but then looked down to the ground with sadness in her own eyes.

"What's wrong?" Emma asked.

"I went to the convent to talk to Blue about them. I don't know why I thought I could reason with a fairy." she said, growling at the end.

The sheriff sat down on the edge of the desk and pulled the older woman closer to her, "It didn't go well, I take it."

Regina shook her head as she tried to fight the tears that were threatening to come, "She was so stubborn and closed minded. I tried to explain it to her, but she wouldn't listen. She basically told me it wasn't my business."

Emma pulled the woman into her arms and hugged her, "I know you tried your best."

"I did. I could have threatened to throw a fireball at her or something, because believe me, the thought crossed my mind." she hissed.

The blonde chuckled a bit, "I'm sure you could have, but you know that wouldn't help the situation, or your reputation."

"I bet there are several people in this town who wouldn't mind seeing Blue roast." she sighed, "But I know what you mean."

Emma laughed, "What am I going to do with you?" She reached up and taking her face in her hand and pulling her close, the blonde placed a kiss to her forehead.

Regina rose up and looked around, "Where is everyone?"

Emma grabbed the whiskey and glasses and placed them back into the drawer, "David and Ruby headed to the diner to help set up, and I am just waiting for Fredrick so we can switch."

"What about Leroy?" she asked, as she looked towards the empty cells.

"Well, that's the funny thing. Mother Superior called and wanted him to come and have a chat with her." she said, "That's another reason why I was waiting for Fredrick, I was going to tell him to expect Leroy back later."

Regina stared towards the empty cell block and thought, what could she possibly want to talk to Leroy about? She probably was going to tell him to quit dreaming and suck it up. The queen shook her head and sighed, "What time is this thing going to be?"

Emma looked up at the wall, "We are supposed to be there in less than an hour."

Regina looked back at the blonde, "I don't even know what they do at baby showers. I mean, I know you get baby gifts, but I have never been to one."

Emma laughed, "Me either." The brunette looked surprised, "I was in prison when I had Henry, remember."

Regina laughed, "Well, aren't we the pair. You didn't have a shower because you were in jail and I was never invited to one."

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"You do know I brought my car, right?" Regina asked as they started walking down the street.

Emma held her hand and smiled, "Yes and I also know you could poof us there just as easily, but I need to walk this alcohol off, so I don't get any more sleepy than I already am. Plus it's kinda romantic to be able to walk down the street holding my girlfriend's hand."

Regina smiled and shook her head, "Are you trying to show me off or something?"

"You bet your ass. I got the sexiest woman in town, who wouldn't want to show you off?" She smiled squeezing the older woman's hand.

Regina laughed, rubbing her free hand over her belly, "Yeah, not feeling sexy these days."

Emma stopped, turned and stepped in front of the brunette, "Are you kidding me? You couldn't be any more beautiful than you are right now." She placed her own hand over her lover's swollen abdomen.

Regina's breath caught as she could see and feel the sincerity in the younger woman's eyes. A tear was taunting her so she reached up pressed her index finger into the inner corner of her eye in order to catch it before it fell, "You sure are the charmer. You must get that from your father."

Emma laughed, taking her place by the mayor's side and then they were walking again. She thought it was funny that this gorgeous creature really didn't see how beautiful she was, but if Emma had anything to do with it, she would ensure that the other woman at least knew that she was beautiful to the blonde.

They hadn't noticed how close they were to the diner until they could hear a crowd of voices, echoing up the street. Emma looked up. Her eyes growing wide as she saw all of the cars that were parked along the street. She looked over to Regina who looked equally as shocked, "Are they all here for the baby shower?"

The blonde didn't answer; she had just as much information on the matter as the other woman. As they came to the front of the diner, people were everywhere. Once they noticed the two women, they all knelt down.

Mr. Tanner stood from his position at the door and opened it for the ladies to enter. Walking in, they were still in shock. It seemed as though more people were here than there had been at the town hall meeting.

Mary Margret appeared through the group, grabbing the pregnant one by the arm and pulling her through the crowd. Regina did not let go of the blonde's hand as they were pulled into the center of the room where a table had been set up with a comfy chair behind it.

The crowd went silent and every person old enough to understand bent down to kneel. Henry and Felix were even spotted on their knees near the bar.

Snow grabbed each of their wrists with both of her hands and pulled their hands apart, "I promise she will be okay."

The diner erupted in laughter, and Emma smiled, but on the inside she frowned at the loss of contact when their hands separated. She let go and watched as her mother pushed her girlfriend into the chair. Emma pushed passed a couple of people gently and made her way to the bar.

"Hey, you!" Ruby shouted as the blonde walked up to the bar.

"Hey!" she smiled.

"Can you believe the turn out?" Ruby said, passing an opened beer to the blonde.

"It is impressive." she said, taking the beer, nodding, "Thanks."

Emma took a swig, and then looked back to Regina to make sure she was all right. She knew this was a lot for the older woman to take in and if the sheriff thought for one second the other woman was in distress, she was grabbing her and leaving.

Regina was smiling at something Snow had said. People were surrounding her with smiles and gifts which Mary Margret was taking and placing on a large table behind where they sat. The blonde could see that for the moment, her girlfriend seemed to be enjoying herself.

"Granny will be serving food soon, but if you need a snack beforehand, there are some hors d'oeuvres on the table over there." the waitress pointed with a smile, before disappearing to assist her grandmother.

Emma sat on the stood and leaned back, putting her elbows on the bar so that she could keep her eye on the mayor. Her eyes fell on the diner door as she saw it open. Marion appeared holding Roland's hand, followed by Will.

The blonde couldn't help but smile. He glanced over and made eye contact, smiling he waved. She waved back.

As the three got closer he stuck out his hand and the blonde took it, "Will."

"Sheriff." he said back, his cheeks slightly reddening.

The sheriff looked at his companions, "Marion. Hey, Roland."

Marion smiled and nodded her head, "Sheriff." Roland smiled, and attempted to hide behind his mother's dress. The dark haired woman smiled and then turned to Will, "I will leave you two to visit. I am going to say hi to the queen."

The blonde waited until Marion had made it a good distance before she asked, "So?"

Ruby reappeared from the back, "Oh, hey, Will. You want a beer?"

He smiled and shook his head, "No, I'm good, thanks."

Ruby raised an eyebrow, "When has Will Scarlet ever turned down alcohol?"

"I'm turning over a new leaf." he said, never letting his eyes leave Marion.

The wolf looked at Emma, who smiled then, in the direction that the knave was looking. She winked at Emma, "Okay, gotcha."

The waitress disappeared again, and Emma leaned closer to the man, "So?" she repeated.

He jumped a little and then turned to look at her, "I told her how I felt."

Emma sat her beer on the bar top, "And?"

"She told me that she had feelings for me too, but that I had to give her time. So, we are here more as friends tonight." he said looking back at Marion, "I understand that, and I will take whatever she offers." He glanced back at the sheriff, "Thank you for the talk earlier."

Emma smiled and nudged him with her shoulder, "Anytime."

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"After we eat, we can open gifts. I figured Emma could come help you when we get to that." Snow said. Regina was glad the other woman was happy, but she had yet to stop talking.

"REGINA!" a little voice shouted.

The queen looked up to see Roland quickly duck under the table and then pop up next to her. He started trying to climb into her lap.

"Roland, Regina cannot hold you right now." Marion said, from the other side of the table.

His eyes grew wide as he saw the queen's belly, "You got fat."

"Roland!" Marion scolded.

"It's alright," she smiled and then said, "I'm pregnant."

"What's that mean?" the little boy asked, looking up at her.

Regina scooted out from the table some and gestured for the boy to climb into her lap. After he did, he molded his little body over her belly in order to hug her, "It means there is a baby in my tummy."

"Oh." He sat up and looked down at her abdomen. He put his hand on it and said, "Hi, baby."

Regina laughed, followed by Marion and Snow. All of the sudden the little boy's eyes landed on Henry, "Henry!" he shouted, jumping down and running in that direction.

"He has a short attention span." Marion said with a sigh.

Regina laughed, "He's five, and Henry was the same at that age."

The two women smiled as they watched the small boy run to Henry and launch himself into the older boy's arms. Henry had always been good with Roland and even baby Neal, so Regina was sure he would be a great big brother.

"I made the baby this." Marion said, passing something to Regina causing her to turn around, "It's not much, but Roland still loves playing with his."

Regina took the object in her hands as she looked at it, she could tell it was a hand sown figure, similar to a doll, but in a masculine way. It was made from old scraps of cloth and stuffed with straw, the eyes were made of buttons and the mouth of stitches.

Marion quickly looked down as if ashamed, "I'm sorry it's not more, I just…"

"No, it's perfect." Regina said smiling at it, "I know the baby will love it, thank you."

The widow looked up and could see the genuine smile on the other woman's face and she smiled back.

"You know, you don't owe me anything, right? If anything, I owe you." the mayor said, still holding the doll.

Marion smiled, "I owe you more than you think." she sighed. Reaching out she lightly squeezed Regina's arm before walking away to get Roland.

The mayor watched the woman walk away, and then looked down at the doll in her hand. It was simple and far from fancy, but it was absolutely beautiful to the queen. She had never had someone do something like that in the Enchanted Forest. She somewhat wished that things would have been different back then, because she knew Marion and she could have been great friends.

The diner door opened causing Regina to look up. Blue strolled in, followed by Astrid and a couple of other fairy/nuns, she didn't know their names. The mayor sighed; she didn't know if she could deal with the Mother Superior for a second time.

As fate would have it, Blue walked right up to her table, "Miss Mills."

Regina fought the urge to roll her eyes as she glanced from one fairy's face to another, and then back to Blue's, "Blue."

"We have come to pay our respects and congratulate you on your new baby." she said.

Regina eyed her suspiciously, but remained silent. The damned fire fly made it sound as though she was at a funeral or something.

Blue glanced around and then back at Regina, "As you know, when a baby is born, and on royal birthdays we grant one wish, if it is in our power."

"But he hasn't been born yet." Regina said, staring at the smaller woman.

Blue slipped her hands under her habit, and fidgeted, "I am aware. I know that in the Enchanted Forest, we never gave you a wish on your birthday. So that is why I would like to give you this wish today."

Regina was a little confused, "I am not royalty so there is no need. You made that clear long ago." she was still very angry at the woman for her lack of… whatever it was she lacked.

The diner had become quiet and you could hear a pin drop. Without warning every person in the diner, besides Emma dropped to their knees and bowed their heads in the mayor's direction.

"I think the people have spoken, your majesty" Blue said; as she too lowered herself in a quick kneel.

Regina was stunned. All of these people had done this similar thing back at the town hall meeting, but for some reason it affected her more now. A tear sprung from her eye and Snow smiled over at her from her chair.

Blue stood up again and looked at Regina, "Now, you majesty, what would your first wish be?"

The bell over the diner door rang and Leroy walked through. He had no expression on his face, so she couldn't tell if he was sad or even if he had been drinking.

"For you to release Astrid of her fairy duties." the queen said.

Astrid's eyes widened, but her expression was filled with puzzlement. He eyes met those of Leroy's, and then darted back to the queen.

Blue clenched her teeth together, causing her jaw muscle to flex. She looked over at Nova, who looked surprised and then her eyes found Leroy. Looking back at Regina, "I have told you, fairies and dwarves cannot be together." Regina started to argue, but Blue put up her hand to stop her, "However, I did have a very long talk with Grumpy and the other dwarves, and it would seem that the head dwarf is willing to allow him his happiness."

Regina raised an eyebrow, "And you?"

Mother Superior turned to Astrid and stared at her. By the expression on the young woman's face she was starting to pick up on what was going on. The diner remained silent while the head fairy stared at the clumsy one.

She reached out and brushed an invisible piece of lint from Nova's habit, "Is this what you truly want?"

Tears fell one by one down her cheeks and Astrid nodded, "More than anything."

Blue turned back to Regina, "Once I do this, you will have used your wish."

Regina rolled her eyes, "I kind of got that."

The head fairy sighed heavily, and then reached into a pouch pulling out her wand. Astrid's eyes grew larger and a smile was on her lips. Glowing fairy dust sprinkled over the younger woman's head as the wand was waved.

"From this day forth, you are no longer fairy, nor nun." Blue said putting the wand away.

Leroy slowly pushed his way through the crowd as he walked towards his love. Astrid was crying now and once the man was in front of her, she threw herself into his arms as she sobbed. He kissed her repeatedly on the lips as he said, "I love you so much."

A tear slipped from his eyes as he glanced at the Blue fairy, "Thank you."

Blue shook her head, "Don't thank me; this was the queen's wish."

His eye's fell on Regina. Astrid had released herself from his hold, but remained close to the dwarf holding his hand. They stepped closer to the table.

"Why would you do this for us?" he asked.

Regina smiled, wiping her own tear away, "I guess being with the savior, a few good things have rubbed off."

Leroy quickly dropped to his knee and bowed his head, Astrid followed.

They stood back up and he said, "The savior only helped to bring out what was already there, your majesty."


	43. Chapter 43

**A huge thank you to GASeeker aka DrKnow2U aka DrKnow, I happy that you have been helping me, you really are awesome!**

 **Readers: I will probably be writing one last chapter and an epilogue after this one. So I thought I would give everyone a heads up.**

 **Chapter43**

Emma felt as though she were still in shock. She knew how selfless and loving her lover could be, but she was still amazed. This beautiful creature who had endured a lifetime of heartache, and who had chosen to do so many horrible things, as well as have had horrible things done to her, had the biggest heart of anyone she had ever met. How had this woman been able to hide this side of herself from everyone for this long?

The sheriff watched as Leroy and Astrid made their way in the blonde's direction. She could see how happy the two were and it made her smile nearly as grand as the dwarf's.

Leroy had his hand on the small of Astrid's back when they stopped in front of Emma, "I know you two have never officially met, so Astrid, this is Sheriff Swan, Sheriff Swan, Astrid."

The sheriff smiled and stuck out her hand, "Please, call me Emma."

"Hi, Emma." Astrid said as she shook the other woman's hand.

"That's one hell of a woman you have there." Leroy said, as he stepped closer to the counter waiting for Ruby to return so he could order.

Emma stared across the room where her girlfriend sat smiling at something one of the other people had said, "Don't I know it. She surprises me more every day."

"Hey Leroy, what can I get you, a beer?" Ruby asked.

Leroy looked at Astrid then back at the waitress, "No, I think we will take two cokes."

Emma turned to the couple with raised eyebrows, "Really?" she smiled to the waitress, "Make that three."

Ruby nodded while sporting a big grin as she went to fulfill the order. Leroy turned to lean his back against the bar resting his elbows on the counter as he looked out over all of the people who were greeting the queen. Astrid sat on the stool on the opposite side of the dwarf.

"I wanted to apologize to you." Leroy said to the sheriff.

She turned her head to look at him, "For what?"

"For not standing up to Sidney that day he said what he said. I mean I just let him talk about her like it was no big deal." he said, looking down at the floor with a frown.

Emma laughed, more to herself than to him, "You didn't know what had happened."

Leroy turned to look her in the eye, "It's still not right. She keeps doing things for all of us and we don't deserve it."

"Here are your cokes." Ruby said, breaking the seriousness of the conversation.

Emma would be lying if she said she wasn't mad that no one except her had stood up for Regina in the beginning, but she also knew that the brunette had done some pretty horrid things back in their land. She had witnessed first-hand, the changes that Regina had made to get where she was.

Leroy stood in silence as he took a sip of his soda. He seemed lost in thought, and still wore his frown.

Emma nudged him with her shoulder, "Would you now?"

Leroy looked up at the sheriff, "What, stand up for her?" Emma nodded and he said, "With my life."

The blonde smiled at him, "That's what counts now."

He gave a tight lipped smile back, and then looked over at Astrid, "Are you ready to go? We still have to go get your things from the convent."

The woman smiled as she slid off the bar stool, "It was nice to meet you sher… Emma." she corrected.

"Same to you, and I'm happy for you guys." Emma smiled.

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Henry and Felix had put the last of the large gifts into the bed of his grandfather's truck. It felt like they had been there all day and to be honest the boys were tired. Ruby had the two of them running around doing different tasks and at one point they were sent into the kitchen to help Granny.

Felix leaned against the bed of the truck mimicking Henry as David walked up.

"I guess I am going to have to get a bigger vehicle." David said.

"Why would you need a bigger ride?" Felix asked.

"Well, because it will be a little difficult to have all three of my grandsons and my son in the truck with me, if we want a guy's weekend camping or something." He smiled at the older boy whose face lit up at being considered his grandson.

Henry watched the interaction between the two and smiled. He was happy that everyone was accepting Felix. He really liked the guy and knew he was going to make a great brother, plus the younger teen was happy to not be an only child anymore.

"Hey, Henry." Ava said, taking the boy from his thoughts.

His throat suddenly felt dry and his palms sweaty, "Oh hey, Ava."

"My dad brought me and Nick to congratulate your moms on the baby." she said, her hands in her back pockets, "I looked for you a little while ago, but I couldn't find you."

He kept his eyes downwards, "Sorry, we were helping Ruby and Granny with everything."

"Yeah, I figured." she smiled.

David stepped closer, "Hi there, I'm David, Henry's and Felix's grandfather."

"Everyone knows who you are, but it's cool. I'm Ava." she smiled, putting out her hand to shake the prince's.

David smiled as he walked away, grabbing Felix to follow. He looked at the other teen, not thinking he could be heard, "Who is she?" he asked.

Felix's voice rang a little louder, "His girlfriend."

Henry was mortified. The blush rose to his cheeks, "I didn't tell him that."

Ava giggled a little, "It's okay, I don't mind."

The boy looked up at the girl, "You don't?"

"Ava!" a man called, from the entrance to the diner.

She glanced back and then stepped closer to Henry, "That's my dad, I have to go." She leaned closer and pressed her lips to the teen's cheek kissing him and then turned and jogged away.

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Regina was so thankful to be home. She had enjoyed herself immensely, but she was so ready to put her feet up. It was after nine o'clock and David had brought the boys home earlier with him as well as all of the gifts.

She had thanked Mary Margret for throwing the shower, and the short haired brunette continued to tell her that it was her pleasure. Snow had appeared to be more excited about the shower than anyone else had been.

David's truck was gone, but she could see the lights on inside, so she knew the boys were there. Regina looked up to the second story of their house and saw the light on over the guest bedroom that was not currently in use. She figured Emma had told David and the boys to put all of the gifts in there so they were out of the way.

Opening the front door, paint fumes from the latex paint were strong, not like those from oil based paints, which was a good thing. She looked at Emma, who looked equally curious.

"Did we have painters come today?" Regina asked, more sarcastically than she should have.

Emma didn't seem offended, "I haven't been here all day either."

The sheriff helped her pregnant girlfriend out of her coat and tossed the keys into the change dish.

"Henry? Felix?" Regina called.

Henry's voice answered from upstairs, "We're up here mom!"

The mayor made eye contact with the blonde again, to ensure she didn't know anything that the brunette didn't know. When she saw the same suspicious look in her lover's eyes, they walked up the stairs.

The paint fumes were definitely stronger on the second level of the house. The mayor could hear movement from the unused guest room. As she got closer to the door, she could hear Henry whisper, "Hurry up, they're coming."

She walked through the doorway and a large gasped escaped her lips. The room had been freshly painted a dark calming purple, with dark trees in the forefront. It made it look like midnight in the forest. A dresser sat on the far wall, and on top of it sat many baby items she had received. A changing table sat against another wall, with diapers, powder and lotions arranged neatly on it.

In the center of the room was a gorgeous hand carver crib. She held her hand over her mouth in shock as she went closer to observe the wood better. She knew this kind of wood anywhere. It was apple wood. Most carpenters would never even attempt to use something such as apple wood, for many different reasons, but here it sat. At one end of the crib was a carved apple tree, and at the other was a large apple. It was incredible.

Above the crib was a stained glass mobile. The colors were bright and each little lead lined frame had a different image. Of course one was an apple tree, but then the next were of individual people. One she could see was Emma, the next Henry, one of herself, one was of Felix, she would guess, and the last was of a baby. It was beautiful.

Tears were running down the queen's face as she looked around the room. The closet was opened slightly and she could see that the boys had put away all of the baby's clothes. Toy's were placed randomly around the room. It was perfect.

"Geppetto made the crib and the dresser." Henry said, walking over to the crib and running his hand over it, "Mr. Johnson painted the walls" he said pointing to the trees, "Antone made the mobile and Grandpa, Felix and I arranged everything." he finished with a big smile.

Regina glanced over at Emma who had wiped her own tear away, then looked at her sons, "It is amazing boys."

Felix walked closer and looked a little shy, "We knew you were worried that you wouldn't be prepared when the baby came so we thought we would make sure you didn't have to worry about any of that. Now all you have to do is bring the baby home."

She let another tear fall, but gestured to the boys to come to her. As they both walked closer she wrapped her arms around them. Emma rustled both of the boy's heads with her hands, and then joined in on the group hug.

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Emma lay in bed wide awake. Regina had been exhausted and passed out hours ago, but the blonde couldn't get her brain to shut off. She stared up at the ceiling watching the ceiling fan spin. It was almost hypnotizing.

She rolled onto her side and faced the brunette. The brunette was on her side facing the blonde. Cuddling had become a bit of a challenge. It was fine if the sheriff was spooning the mayor from behind, but it didn't work quite as well in reverse.

Emma couldn't believe how fate had worked out. She had the woman of her dreams, kids, a house, all the things she didn't think would ever be possible for someone like her. The feeling alone was incredible, but it was still frightening.

When she had found out that she was pregnant with Henry, it all seemed to happen fast. She remembers seeing him when he was first born and just wanting the doctor to take him away, because she didn't want to get attached to him. She couldn't offer him any kind of life, and she refused for him to grow up like she had.

Now, there was another baby on the way and an added teenager, but truth be told, she wouldn't want it any other way. She felt for the first time in her life that she was loved and that she had a family. She couldn't have even dreamed that it would feel this good. She had spent so many years telling herself that she didn't need anyone, and now Emma knew that she couldn't live without these people.

She let her eyes glide over her lover's features. She looked so calm and relaxed, and as beautiful as always. Her makeup had been scrubbed away, yet she still hadn't lost one gorgeous aspect of her beauty. Emma leaned closer to her and inhaled her apple cinnamon scent, and then gently kissed her forehead.

As quietly as she could, she slid out of the bed. She couldn't sleep and laying here wasn't helping. She eased herself from the room and walked down the hallway, until she came to the baby's room.

Emma leaned into the door frame as she let her eyes dance over every item in the room. Soon she was going to have her chance at being a parent of an infant. She was nervous, but not because she didn't know what to do with a baby. She did spend the entire time with her parents and baby Neal since he was born; it was just that she had never had the full maternal instinct. She loved Henry and would give her life for his, and now Felix's too, but as far as nurturing, she had never experienced it. She really hoped Regina had that part covered.

She walked into the room and let her hand glide softly over furniture as she passed. When she got closer to the dresser, she noticed more carving on the side. From the doorway, it had appeared to have none.

On the side of the dresser, there was an elaborate carving of a boy holding a baby, standing in front of a tree. She knew it was August and her. She almost laughed at the fact that Pinocchio was carved in wood; because he was a wooden puppet at one time.

The sheriff let her finger's ran over the rise and fall of the wood, as she moved to the other side. Her breath caught at the new carving she had found. It was of a very detailed swan wearing a crown. The clear coat he had used to seal the wood made every cut, dip and crevasse stand out. It was amazing. Emma had seen a similar design in a notebook Henry had drawn when they were back in New York. She had seen that Antone had also put this same design in the bathroom window at the town hall, and even though she knew what it meant now, she couldn't figure out how Henry would have drawn it when he had no memory of this place or the people here.

Emma let her fingers linger over the carving and smiled. Even their son knew before anyone else. Yep, she wouldn't survive without her family. She couldn't even imagine things going back to the way they were before.

Emma was ripped out of her thoughts when a blood curdling screamed pierced the silent house. Without a second thought, she knew it was Regina and she tore out of the bedroom towards their room.

Throwing open the door, Emma saw Regina laying in bed holding her swollen belly as her face contorted in pain. The sheriff flipped on the light and ran to the bed, "Honey, what's wrong?"

"I don't know." she winced, "It hurts so bad." Regina curled herself up in a ball as she cried out again.

Emma threw the covers back to sit the brunette up, but stopped dead in her tracks as she saw the blood that cover the sheets where her queen had been sleeping. Her heart was hammering against her chest and her face had totally drained of all its colors.


	44. Chapter 44

**Another huge thank you to GASeeker aka DrKnow2U aka DrKnow, you are awesome as always. ;)**

 **Readers: This is the final chapter, but I will be posting an Epilogue soon.**

 **Chapter44**

Henry's feet were already treading carpet before his brain even knew what the scream was. Felix stepped out of his room with wide eyes.

"What's going on?" He asked as Henry ran by, only to follow.

"Mom? What's wrong?" He said as he made it to his mothers' doorway.

His eyes landed on the large red stains now on their bed beneath his adoptive mother. Emma spun to face him.

"Henry I need you to call Dr. Whale." His birth mothers tone was calm, but strained.

"What's happened?" He asked looking from the blood to his pregnant mother.

"Henry! Now!" Emma yelled in order to get his attention.

Henry understood and ran to his adoptive mother's nightstand and grabbed her phone. He quickly scrolled through her contact list and found the doctor's number. Pressing the call button he stepped outside the room where Felix stood.

A sleepy sounding Dr. Whale answered, "Madam Mayor, Have you any idea what time it is?"

"Whales! My mom is bleeding and in bad pain!" Henry said.

"Where is she bleeding from and how bad?" The doctor said trying to wake up.

Henry didn't have time to be concerned with too much knowledge about his mother so he said, "I assuming from between her legs and there is a lot of blood, what do we do?"

"Tell Emma to try and heal her, but get her to the hospital as soon as possible." Regina screamed out again, and the doctor added, "I will meet you all there."

Henry hung up the phone and hurried back to Emma, "He said to start healing her, but we need to get her to the hospital now."

Emma grabbed a blanket from the foot of the bed and started to wrap it around her girlfriend's shoulders, "Felix, I need you to help me get her to the car, and then you two can stay here until we know something."

"No!" Henry shouted. "We are coming with you, besides you need one of us to drive so that you can heal mom." He said standing his ground.

Emma took a moment to look the boy in the eyes and then she looked to Felix who had a similar expression, "Fine. Felix, come help me get her up. Henry, go and start the car."

Henry nodded his head and took off for the stairs. Once he was downstairs he swiped the keys from the change dish and threw on his jacket and then he bolted out the front door towards the Mercedes.

He unlocked all of the doors and cranked the car, making sure to turn the defrost on for the windows. The teen then ran around to the back passenger door and opened it waiting for his mothers.

Another scream came from inside the house, and Henry ran to the front door. Emma and Felix were slowly coming down the stairs with his adoptive mother between them her arm draped over their shoulders.

He could see his birth mother's hand glowing as she tried to concentrate on healing his mom. She looked scared, but he could she how hard she was fighting to remain focused, "Are you sure you can drive Henry?"

"Grandpa took me driving in his truck a few times. I can get us safely to the hospital." Henry said.

Once they were outside near the car, Henry helped the other two get his brunette mother in the car. Emma slid in behind her and Felix climbed into the front passenger's seat. Henry ran around the car and jumped into the driver seat and put on his seat belt. He glanced up into the review mirror and could see the glow of his birth mother's hand on his other mother stomach.

He shifted the gear shift into reverse and hit the gas a little too hard causing him to lose control for a moment and he plowed over the mailbox at the bottom of the driveway.

He pressed the brake a little harder than he thought and everyone slung forward, "Sorry." He smiled sheepishly.

He looked over his shoulder at his mother's and could see that his adoptive mother had passed out. Shifting the car into drive he gently pressed the gas pedal heading for the hospital.

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As the Mercedes came to a stop at the emergency exit, Whale was there with a nurse and a wheel chair ready to go. He hurried over to the car to assist Emma in getting the queen out. The blonde had not taken her hand away from its position on Regina's stomach.

She was relieved to have stopped the other woman from crying out in pain, but only enough to knock her out. The only time she had left her hand in healing mode for even close to this long was when she and Regina had made love. However the stimulation part was not anywhere near this, so it only let the blonde know how serve the pain was.

Once the doctor and nurse had taken the mayor and sat her down into the chair she looked towards Henry through her open door, "Henry, you and Felix park the car and meet me inside."

The look Dr. Whale gave Emma as he peered into the car and the underage Henry behind the wheel had not gone unnoticed, "Did you have a better idea?" She asked the doctor.

He just shook his head no and then rushed the nurse and Regina inside. Emma stayed on their heels. They were not taking her girlfriend anywhere without her.

As they came into an emergency room, the doctor told the nurse, "Bring an ultrasound machine asap." Another nurse stood off to the side with a clip board, "Nurse Connor can you assist us in getting the patient on the bed?"

"Of course doctor." The woman said placing the clip board down on a neighboring bed and jogging over.

The doctor stood at Regina's back with his hands under her arms, and the nurse took one leg while Emma took the other and nearly effortlessly, were able to lay the queen on the bed. Whale then took his stethoscope from around his neck and placed them in his ears, moving the other end around the mayor's belly.

"The baby's heart rate seems to be a little faster than I would like." He said.

"What does that mean?" Emma said standing at Regina's head and wiping a stray piece of hair from the brunette's sweaty brow.

"I'm not sure yet, but the baby may be in distress." He said pulling the leg stirrups out from the end of the bed.

Nurse Connor assisted in getting the mayor's legs into position. At least they didn't have to worry about removing the other woman's underwear, Emma thought to herself. The queen had stopped wearing them when her belly had grown too big for them.

The nurse passed the doctor a pair of gloves as she wiped blood from Regina's thighs and her sex to make it easier for Whale to see. He continued to stand as he pressed his finger into Regina. A very few seconds later her removed his hand, but he didn't speak as he slid the gloves off and chunked them into the trash.

The other nurse came back pushing the ultrasound machine in front of her. As soon as she got to them, she plugged the device in and started pressing the buttons to get it ready. She then handed Whale the wand as the other nurse removed Regina's night dress, pulling a sheet over the brunettes exposed breast.

Emma was chewing her lip relentlessly, as she kept her hand on Regina's head gently running her fingers through the other woman's hair. She wasn't clear as to what was going on, but she was scared. Seeing all of the blood wasn't helping matters either.

The nurse squeezed out some gel onto the mayor's abdomen and then Whale pressed the wand into her skin. He moved the wand slowly back and forth and up and down while occasionally pressing his hand in an attempt to make the baby move.

Nurse Connor began setting up an IV port in Regina's right hand. She worked quickly and within a few seconds the port was in and taped securely into place. The nurse then attached the small port hose to the saline hose and hung the bag onto the rod.

"It looks like the umbilical cord is wrapped around the baby's neck. She is not dilated any further than she was yesterday and it doesn't look like the rest of her body is prepared for this baby to come." Whale said.

"Okay, so what does that mean? Is the baby ready?" The sheriff asked.

"Well, it means we are going to have to perform an emergency cesarean. The cord is around the baby's neck, and his heart rate is elevated. I don't know if he is getting oxygen at this time." He said.

In the real world, or at least the world she grew up in, she knew how common cesareans were, but now it was scary. Just the thought of someone cutting Regina open made the blonde cringe.

The doctor continued, "It is a bit of a problem when the person we need permission from is unconscious. So I will ask you sheriff. Do you want to attempt a Pitocin drip and see if her body readies itself for her to give birth naturally, or we do a cesarean?"

Emma ran her hand down her face. She would want for this baby to be born naturally, and that would be what her girlfriend would want, however if something happened to the baby while waiting, Regina would never get over that, nor would she.

"Cesarean. Regina's first concern would be for the baby." She said as she fought back tears that were threatening to fall.

The doctor nodded and started shouting orders to the two nurses. He turned to Emma, "I need you to go into the waiting room, and I will come and get you."

Emma narrowed her eye brows, "I'm not leaving her."

"It will only be for a few minutes for us to set up, and then I will personally come and get you so you can scrub and suit up." Whale said.

Emma looked down at her girlfriend and ran her fingers through her hair one more time, and then she leaned down and kissed her on the forehead.

Before she turned to walk out, she looked at the doctor, "Don't do anything without me Whale."

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Henry paced the waiting room floor, darting his eye between the entrance and the double doors his mother had been taken through. He had called his grandparents, to fill them in on what had happen before they got to the hospital, and they said they were on their way.

Felix sat in one of the chairs with his leg propped up on the other by his ankle. He chewed on the skin of his thumb and bounced his knee up and down. Henry wasn't sure how he was doing, but by the way he was sitting, the younger boy could tell he was just as anxious as him.

The entrance doors slid open causing Henry to look in that direction. His grandparents were walking in, followed by what looked like the whole town.

The boy's eyes grew large, "Whoa, news spreads fast." He said as the Charmings walked up to him.

"Everyone would have wanted to know, and apparently everyone wanted to show their support." His grandfather said.

Mary Margret grabbed Henry by the shoulders, "How are you boys doing?" She glanced over at Felix with concern.

"Going crazy. We are waiting for someone to come and tell us something." Henry said as everyone in the room could hear the tension in his voice.

Snow smiled sadly, and then motioned for Felix to come over. When he got to them, she wrapped them both in a tight hug, "Your mom is going to be just fine, and so is the baby."

Snow released the boys and stepped back, Henry was going to say something to her when the double doors opened and Emma emerged.

The younger boy could see the worry in his birth mother's face and he got a sinking feeling in his gut. Her eye's became as big as saucers when she looked up and saw almost the whole town standing in the waiting room.

Henry walked over to her and he threw his arms around her, after a second he let go and asked, "How is mom?"

The sheriff slid her hands into her back pocket and licked her lips. Again she glanced around at all of the faces then looked back to Snow and David, and then to the two boys, "The doctor said the baby is in distress. The umbilical cord has wrapped around his neck. So we are going to have to do an emergency cesarean, they are prepping her now."

Snow gasped at the news, but then nodded her head. She knew how much this baby meant to her ex-stepmother, "What did Regina say?"

Emma sighed, "She is unconscious, and so I had to make the call." She looked up to the ceiling in a failing attempt to stop her tears.

"What was the other option?" Her mother asked.

"For them to do a Pitocin drip and hope her body readies itself for birth, but that could take hours or even days and he doesn't know how tight the cord is. The baby has an elevated heart rate, and Regina would never forgive me if something happened to the baby." The blonde said as tears ran down her cheeks.

The entire room was silent, but Henry was getting angry, "Why?"

Emma looked up confused, "Why what?"

"Why would you chance her life for his?" Henry said with watery eyes.

"Henry!" Snow scolded.

The sheriff grabbed Henry and forced him into a hug, "The doctor will do everything he can to make sure your mom is okay, but you know your mom would want to make sure the baby was safe."

"I thought you wanted to be a big brother." David said from behind them.

"I did, I do, but not if it is going to hurt or kill my mom." Henry said as tears sprang from his eyes.

Felix had been watching them, and at Henry's words he turned and ran for the entrance. Henry wiped his cheeks as the double door opened and Dr. Whale appeared, "Sheriff, we're ready."

Emma nodded and leaned in to kiss Henry on the top of his head, "Go to Felix, please." She turned and looked at everyone including her parents and gave a tight lipped smiled, and then followed the doctor disappearing through the doors.

Henry stood staring at the double door for what felt like forever, but then sighed and headed for the exit. He hoped his brother had not gone too far because he was afraid he would miss Emma coming back out to inform them of something.

As he walked out the exit and down the sidewalk some, he saw Felix sitting on a bench. He approached slowly, "Is this seat taken?"

Felix didn't look up at him, instead waved his hand over the empty spot next to him for the younger boy to sit and wiped his face of his own tears.

Henry sat down and sighed, "I'm sure the baby will be fine."

Felix looked up into the younger boy's face, "What about Miss. Mills?"

Henry looked at him and fought more tears when he saw that the other boy was crying, "First off, you really have to stop calling her that, it's weird, and second, I don't know. Emma and the doctor will do everything they can and we will just have to have hope and faith."

"I can't lose her Henry." Felix said in a near whisper causing the other boy to have to strain to hear him.

Henry looked at Felix with curiosity, "What do you mean?"

Felix stood up and ran his fingers through his hair, "Just what I said. I know I am a new addition to your family and all, but I felt for the first time in my entire life what it felt like to have a family. One who accepts me and loves me, and your mom has shown me all of those things. If something happened to her, it would be like losing a mother all over again."

Henry stood and smiled, "I get it, and just so you know, if something happened to her, it wouldn't be only you losing a mom. You're not in this alone."

Felix pulled the other boy into an embrace and Henry hugged him back.

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Emma had scrubbed and now was wearing an entire doctor get-up. She had the scrubs, the gown, the hair cover, shoe covers and the mask. She stood nervously by Regina's bed again, only this time there was a small screen put up to block the view of what the doctor and nurses were doing.

She reached down and grabbed Regina's hands, while she ran her fingers through the brunette's hair with the other one.

Emma didn't know why she felt so scared, not fully. The doctor had been practicing medicine in this world for nearly thirty years. She was sure he would have delivered several babies in that time. They had given Regina an epidural even though she wasn't awake. They figured it would be safer for the baby instead of pumping drugs through the queen's system.

Emma could hear the doctor quietly giving the nurse commands on things to hand him. Emma had to fight everything in her body to not look around the curtain, but somehow she managed. She glanced down at Regina's face and could see her eyebrows working, and then they slowly opened.

Looking up at Emma and then down at the curtain she said in a very weak voice, "What's going on?"

Emma squeezed her hand, "Whale is doing an emergency C-section."

Worry flashed across the queen's face, "What's wrong with the baby?"

Emma licked her lips as she tried to remain calm as she spoke, "The umbilical cord is wrapped around the baby's neck, and your body isn't ready for the baby to be born naturally."

Tears flooded the mayor's eyes, "Is he okay, Emma?"

Emma leaned closer pulling the mask down enough to kiss the other woman's forehead, "He will be fine." She smiled, "It's your kid, isn't it?"

Regina smiled at that but worry still in her expression.

Suddenly they heard the unmistakable cry of a baby. Regina let out a tearful laugh, and Emma winked, "See, I told you."

After a couple of minutes one of the nurses had the baby sucked out and wrapped, she came to the edge of the curtain and passed the baby to Emma. She took the small bundle in her arms, and she could feel her heart fill with pride.

The blonde could see the baby seemed to be very alert. His eyes were wide open and he appeared to be looking around. Of course it was only the shadows and light he could see. She walked closer to Regina, as she went to pass the baby to his birth mother, machines started beeping and alarms were going off.

Emma heard the doctor say something about internal bleeding and needing to stop it. It all seemed to be happening in slow motion. Regina's eyes rolled back in her head and her body started to convulse.

Emma held the baby as she watched the nurses run around. One grabbed the bedside phone and yelled out some code into the receiver. Soon the room was filled with other nurses. Some were pushing in extra machines and other were grabbing up items from drawers and cabinets.

One nurse came up to Emma to take the baby, but the sheriff pushed her back, "What do you think you are doing?"

The nurse looked surprised, but said, "I need to take the baby now."

"No!" Emma shouted, causing Whale to peer around the curtain at her.

"Nurse, leave the baby and come and assist me." He glanced at Emma with a sympathetic look in his eye.

Emma looked back to Regina. Her body was being moved up and down from the chest compression's they were doing. Whale stood from his position and walked around to the group of nurses who were preforming CPR, "I have the bleeding stopped. Bring the defibrillator over."

Emma was paralyzed. She let her eyes find the heart monitor and she could see the straight line going across the screen. The mayor's blood pressure was dropping. She looked down at the baby, who was not making a sound as he looked around. She wanted to look back at Regina, but there were so many people around the bed, she was blocked out.

Ten minutes had come and gone as Dr. Whale continued CPR. He was sweating and had blood on the front of his scrubs, one by one the nurses were stopping what they were doing only to have a sad look in their eyes.

"Dr. Whale, we need to call it. You did everything you could." One nurse said holding a clip board.

Finally Whale stopped. His head hung low and his chest heaved heavily from his frantic tries to revive the queen. He finally turned and looked at Emma. "I'm sorry."

Emma narrowed her eyes, "No." It was more of a whisper as she slowly walked toward her lover who lay lifeless in the bed. "No, no, no." Tears now poured down her cheeks.

She sniffled as she looked down at the quiet newborn, who now was starting to fuss, "Regina, baby, you can't leave us. Please don't leave me." She was now sobbing loudly as the baby began to cry just as loud.

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Dr. Whale had watched the scene play out before him. There was no way he could take the baby from her at this time, she was heartbroken and he had to give her a little time. He needed to give Snow and David the news, and He was fighting back his own tears. Emma Swan's sobs were more heartbreaking then any he had ever witnessed. He could see how much she loved the former Evil Queen.

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Henry stood beside his grandparents and Felix while they waited as patiently as they could for news. He had seen on TV that C-section births were faster than a lot of natural births and thought that they should be done by now.

He could feel this irrational trepidation that had decided to settle in his stomach. He felt as though he was either going to pass out or puke any minute. Every now and then, his brother would give him a reassuring smile or pad on the arm.

Every person in the waiting room spun to the double doors as they opened. A pin could be heard when the doctor appeared. His face was solemn as his eyes widened momentarily as he saw how many people were in the waiting room.

Dr. Whale looked at Snow and then to David, "I need to speak with you two."

"No!" Henry shouted. "It's my mom and brother. Whatever you have to say you can say it here."

Whale looked back at the Charmings who nodded in agreement.

He swallowed and nodded, "You have a healthy baby brother."

The entire room cheered, but suddenly quieted down when Whale held of his hand up.

Before he could speak Henry asked, "How is my mom?"

The doctor swallowed again looking at Henry, "I'm sorry Henry, she didn't make it."

Many gasps waved through the crowd. Henry looked at Felix then to his grandparents, "That's not possible." His eyes filled with tears as did every person in the room.

"We did everything we could…" The doctor said before he was interrupted.

"Bullshit!" He shouted. "Take me to her, where is Emma?" His voice was cracking.

Snow stepped forward with the intentions of embracing him, but instead he shot towards the double doors. Felix was hot on his trail as he screamed, "Mom!"

He ran straight towards the emergency room and could see Emma crying hard hold a small bundle in her arms. He suddenly couldn't breathe as he slowly walked through the curtain. His mother just looked as though she were sleeping. Felix stopped just behind his younger brother, he had the same expression Henry did.

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Emma didn't know how much time had passed but she couldn't accept that the queen was dead. They had been through so much, this couldn't be the end. She climbed up on the bed with her girlfriend and laid the baby on her chest. She continued to support him with one arm but she turned her body slightly to bury her face in the brunette locks as she continued to sob.

She couldn't do this without the love of her life. They were supposed to be a family. How could she raise three boys on her own? She had finally felt what it was like to be loved back and then fate takes it away. This had to be some cruel joke the universe was playing on her.

Emma could feel her magic swirling inside. It was like a static charge, but internally. The feeling was getting stronger and her body was radiating heat.

The sheriff slowly raised her head. A light out of the corner of her eye caught her attention. Turning her head in that direction, she could see that their newborn son was now glowing, a brilliant white. Soon she noticed that her own body was glowing.

All at once she remembered that their son was created from their magic, so he had to have magic. She looked down at the infant who had stopped crying. She put her free hand over her lover's heart. This may not work, but she didn't have any other choice.

She took a deep breath, but before she closed her eyes to concentrate, she noticed that the entire town was now standing around the bed, including their other two sons. Her eye's met Henry's and Felix's and Henry said, "I have faith in you Ma."

Emma closed her eyes conjured every ounce of magic she could. She pictured reviving her girlfriend. She thought of all the love she had for her little family and for this woman alone. She could feel the magic so strong it was flowing through her veins.

The light bulbs overhead started popping and sparks were flying. The electricity blinked on and off repeatedly.

Emma whispered, "Come on baby, we need you."

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Regina opened her eyes with a huge gasp. She felt like she hadn't breathed in days. Her body felt alive and her own magic was alive and coursing throughout her body.

Cheers broke through the silent hospital, causing Regina to jump. That is when she felt something on her chest. As she looked down, she realized Emma was hugging her, well in a manner of speaking.

Emma slowly raised her head making eye contact with her girlfriend. She let out a sob pressing her lips to the mayor's forehead. A small cooing noise came from Regina's chest causing her to look. A tear slid down her cheek as she laid eyes on the infant.

The brunette glanced around the room at all of the people. She was surprised at how many came.

"Go get the doctor." A voice called from somewhere in the crowd and footsteps running away could be heard.

Regina's eye landed on her two older sons who had been crying. She motioned for them to come to her. As they did she grabbed their hands, "What's wrong?"

Henry let out a sloppy chuckle, but then leaned in to hug his mother, "They brought you back mom."

Regina looked around the room now noticing everyone's wet eyes. She glanced over to Snow and David and then to Emma, "What is talking about?"

Emma sniffled again and let out her weak chuckle, "You died."

Regina's face turned white as she tried to process the new information. She looked down to the bundle in her arms.

Suddenly people started parting as the doctor ran in. His expression showed nothing short of bewilderment, "How is this possible?" He walked closer to the queen with his stethoscope and pressed it to her chest.

"Okay everyone, we all need to go back out into the waiting room and give the doctor some room and Regina some privacy." Snow said.

Slowly everyone shuffled out of the room, except Henry, Felix, Emma and the baby. Once everyone had left Henry hugged his mother again and then his birth mother. Felix followed suit. He stopped at Regina for a second, "I'm so glad you're okay mom."

Her breath caught at the sound of him calling her mom. She smiled as she watched the two boys walk out of the room. Emma slid off of the bed and stood up. Panic ran across the mayor's face, "Where are you going?"

Emma looked a little confused, but said, "Nowhere, I just needed to give you and the doctor more room."

"Oh don't worry Miss. Mills, I couldn't run her off if I tried, and believe me, I tried." He smiled up at Emma.

Regina grabbed the blondes hand with her free hand, "What did Henry mean when he said they saved you?"

"The baby and me. We saved you." She said.

"All of your vitals are back to normal. Let me check your incision." He lifted the sheet up over her bikini lined incision, "Well, that's weird."

Emma walked to where the doctor stood and looked down. The incision had completely healed into a scar that was barely noticeable. The blonde was even impressed.

Whale pulled the sheet back down and looked at the baby, "You do need to let the nurse finish her checkup of the baby, plus she is going to want you to try and feed him." He looked over at Emma nervously.

Regina smiled, "You wouldn't let them take the baby either, would you?"

Emma shrugged, "I wanted him to be here when you woke up." She watched the sheriff blink back a tear.

The doctor picked up the receiver and spoke into it, "Nurse Mason, we are ready for you to take the baby now."

As the nurse entered the room with a small roller cart with a see-through bassinet, she let out a small shriek as she laid eyes on the very alive queen, "How is this possible, you were gone for more than twenty minutes?"

Regina's eyes shot up to Emma then back to the nurse, but she said nothing. She let the nurse take the baby, with the promise that after his measurements and bath she would return him and see if he would eat.

Emma had gone and got Henry, Felix and her parents bringing them back to the room with her. Everyone else were told that the baby and Regina were both fine and that they should go home and get some sleep.

Regina watched as Emma passed the baby carefully to Henry first, letting him meet his little brother. Henry seemed so happy and instantly fell in love with the new addition to their home. She then passed the baby to Felix, who grinned from ear to ear. He let the baby grab a hold of his index finger and then said, "He's going to be a strong one."

Mary Margret was the next to hold him, and she cooed. Everyone seemed surprised at how relaxed the infant was. David held the tiny person for a few minutes and he even looked proud.

"What is his name?" He asked.

Regina and Emma's eye's grew wide and Regina said, "I don't know. We were going to talk about it but we forgot."

"Knock, knock." Will's voice called from behind the curtain.

"Come on in." David said.

Will pushed the curtain to the side to let Marion pass, "Sorry we are late. News doesn't travel out to the forest very fast." Marion said with a shy smile.

Regina smiled, "You didn't miss anything."

Henry rolled his eyes, "You did miss something, but be glad. Mom was dead for twenty minutes."

The two visitor's eyes widened and Will stepped closer producing a small bouquet of flowers. They had been wrapped in ribbon and were just about every color you could imagine.

He smiled and passed them towards the queen, then he carefully leaned in and gave her a kiss on the cheek, "Well, I for one, am glad you are not dead."

Everyone laughed, as he stepped back beside Marion. He still looked a little apprehensive, but the sincerity was in his eyes.

"Where is Roland?" The mayor asked.

"He's back at camp asleep. Little John and the others are watching him." Marion said.

David walked over and handed the baby to Will, who at first looked as though he was going to decline, but instead he held out his arms and took the small bundle.

Regina watched the man as he seemed to gain confidence as he held the newborn. Her heart swelled at the sight and suddenly she grabbed Emma sand pulled her close to whisper in her ear, "I have chosen a first name."

Emma pulled back enough to look in her lover's eyes, and then leaned in again, "I think I may have a second."

Regina pulled away and Emma followed. The mayor cleared her throat, "We have chosen the baby's name."

Everyone looked at her expectantly. Snow didn't like the anticipation, "Oh come on with it."

Regina looked at Emma and then said, "His first name is William." Will looked confused for a second, but remained quiet. The queen continued, "I chose William because I think that Will Scarlet is one of the most honorable men I have ever met."

Will swallowed hard, and looked down at the baby then back to the queen, "I would be honored for him to have my name."

She looked at Emma who smiled, "And his middle name will be Graham."

Regina's eyes widened, "Graham?"

Emma felt a little uneasy at the queen's reaction, "I know bad things happened and all, but I think Graham is not only a good name, but also one of an honorable man. It isn't fair that he be easily forgotten."

Regina stared at the blonde for a long moment before she smiled and said, "William Graham is the newest Swan-Mills."


	45. Chapter 45

**Thank you very much for all of your help on this, GASeeker aka DrKnow2U aka DrKnow, you really do rock. ;)**

 **Reader: Thank everyone for your support and kind words while I wrote this story. I enjoyed it and hopefully can start a new one soon.**

 **Epilogue**

"Mom, its fine. Will you stop messing with it? She will be here any minute." Henry said, trying to move his adoptive mother's hand away from his tie.

"I don't understand why you are not picking her up at her house. It is the gentlemanly thing to do." Regina said, dropping her arms from her son's collar.

"Because honey, we are not in the Enchanted Forest and here, some girls don't like that kind of thing." Emma said, sitting William down so he could walk.

Ava had wanted to meet Henry at the diner; she said it would make her father feel more comfortable. No one was sure what that meant, but Regina and Emma could understand his nervousness, this was his only daughter who their son was taking to the prom.

Regina crossed her arms over her chest and stood back looking at her son's appearance, "Well, it doesn't seem right. This meeting at a diner seems a bit barbaric."

The sheriff smiled and walked over to the other woman, "It's fine," she smiled, "it's not like we dated or courted in that fashion either."

Regina blushed, "Well, we were not given that option."

"Henry pretty." the two year old said, walking up to his big brother.

Regina smiled at her two sons and then looked around, "Where is Felix?"

Emma looked at the clock on the wall, "He and Will had some stuff to finish up at the station, he will be here soon."

Regina sighed, "Tell me again why we agreed to let our son become a police officer?"

Emma took the other woman's hand in her own, "Because that was what he wanted and he is good at it." She leaned in and kissed the brunette on the lips.

The bell over the diner door jingled. They turned to see Will and Felix stroll in.

Emma smiled at her lover, "See, speak of the devil."

Regina glared at their oldest, "What took you so long? Ava will be here any minute."

Felix smiled, "Sorry Mom, we had some paper work to do."

She looked at Will, "And you? Why are lingering around here, don't you have a pregnant wife you need to get to?"

"She is meeting me here." he said, feeling as if he were a child who had just been scolded.

Emma stepped forward, "She is just a little stressed out. All of her children are growing up and it doesn't sit well with her."

Regina slapped the sheriff's shoulder playfully, "Shut up!"

Everyone including Regina laughed.

Henry spotted the very pregnant Marion approach the diner door and ran to open it for her.

"Thank you Henry, and don't you look handsome?"

Henry smiled, "You're welcome and thank you."

Will leaned in and kissed his wife hello.

Emma looked around, "Where is Roland?"

Will pulled a chair out for Marion to sit in as she said, "He is staying the night with a friend from school."

William walked up to Will tugging on his pants, "Up."

Will smiled and lifted the child up into his arms, "Well, how are you doing?"

"Fine." the toddler stated with a big grin.

Will grabbed the boy's belly with his finger and started tickling him, "Oh really."

William let out a squeal as he burst into laughter. The three women in the room laughed at the cuteness of the two.

Ruby walked up passing out menus to the group, "What can I get you all to drink?" She paused as she saw Henry in his suit, "Wow, not too shabby." She winked at Henry.

Everyone told the waitress what they wanted to drink and she left to retrieve their selections. Granny came from the back to get a look at Henry. She had kind of become that surrogate grandmother to the Swan-Mills children for Regina's side, since her parents were dead. The old woman and Regina had gotten very close in the past couple of years.

The old wolf winked at Henry from across the room and then went back into the kitchen to continue her tasks. He smiled at her and waved before she disappeared.

The doorbell jingled again and everyone looked up expectantly. Nick was the first to open the door. He was in a suit as well and he held the door open for a girl from their school who was dressed in a teal prom gown that stopped at her mid-thigh, her dress matched Nick's tie.

Henry threw his head back in a sharp acknowledgement to his friend.

Their dad was next, taking the door from his son. Slowly Ava came into view. Her dress was blood red with black lace that peeked out from the bottom of the gown. Her blonde hair was swept up into an elegant up do with a few loose curls that fell around her face.

Everyone gasped at the beautiful young lady. Regina now understood why Henry had made her look everywhere for the perfect shade of red for his shirt. She glanced over at Henry, who appeared to be paralyzed. She glanced up at Emma, who shook her head with a smile.

Ava walked up to her date and smiled, "Sorry we're late. I was a little worried that I wouldn't look right."

Henry realized his mouth was opened. He snapped it shut and swallowed, "You look amazing."

Even through the perfect makeup, the blush that flooded her cheeks was evident.

Felix walked up to the couple who were staring silently at one another and pushed the cold corsage box into his brother's chest. Henry looked down, "Oh, right, I forgot." He laughed nervously.

Ava smiled, and put her arm out for him to slip it on. Henry struggled with the clear plastic box for a moment, but then was able to pop it open. Taking it from the container, he gently slipped it onto the girl's wrist.

She gasped at the corsage. It had one big red rosebud in the center with mini black roses around it and white baby's breath peering out from underneath, "It's beautiful. How did you find a corsage like this?"

Regina smiled, "There is nothing the queen can't get my dear." A collection of chuckles could be heard and she smiled to the girl, "You look beautiful dear."

Ava smiled and glanced around the room at all of the eyes that were staring at her. She turned her head to the bell over the door and watched as the Charmings entered out of breath with their three and a half year old son.

"Sorry we are late, we had…" Snow's voice trailed off as her gaze fell on Ava and Henry. She smiled as her eyes watered up, "You two look beautiful."

She pulled her camera out of her purse and started snapping pictures. After about the hundredth one, Emma turned to face away from the bright flash. At any moment she felt like she could fall out in an epileptic seizure.

Regina had been fighting tears all evening. Henry was about to be leaving to take his date to the junior prom. Felix had graduated and now was working as a deputy. She felt as though the two years since William was born had flown by.

Snow had ushered all four of the well-dressed teens around taking pictures of them. Henry had huffed looking at his watch and was starting to get annoyed.

"Mom, they need to get going, they are already running late." Emma said gently grabbing her mother's arm.

David stepped up guiding his wife away from his grandson and companions. He pulled her up to the large table where Will and Marion had seated themselves and pulled out a chair.

Regina watched as the teens waved goodbye and walked out the door. She was suddenly struck with an overwhelming feeling of sadness that her son had not hugged or kissed her before he left. She kept telling herself it was what teenagers did, but she so missed her little Henry.

Emma glanced up and noticed the sad look on her lover's face, but also the sad look on Michael's face. She could tell what it was about and called over to him, "Hey Michael, why don't you join us for dinner?" She motioned to the table where everyone was sitting.

He looked as though he was going to decline, but then David turned around, "Yeah, Mike there is plenty of room."

The man nodded with a smile and took a seat. Regina was seated next to the blonde who took her hand and gently squeezed it.

"You okay?" Emma whispered into the brunette's ear.

She only nodded and gave a tight lipped smile. The mayor's phone pinged, indicating she had a text message. She reached into her purse and pulled the device out. Noticing it was a picture message from Henry, she opened it. It was a selfie of the teen grinning and the caption read, _'I love you Mom.'_

A huge smile crossed the queen's lips as she typed, _'I love you too.'_

Emma could see the image and message her son had exchanged with his mother and she could see the change in Regina's demeanor. She was glad that Henry had thought to do that. She turned to look for their toddler and could hear her own little brother giggle.

Glancing behind her, she could see Neal clapping his hand in joy, but then, out of the corner of her eye, she could see William and above him were all of the condiments from the neighboring tables, magically floating in the air.

Emma did not want to alert her already emotional other half, so she casually slid out of the chair, and calmly walked in the direction of her child.

"William Graham Swan-Mills, put those things down right now." she scowled in a whisper.

The toddler giggled again, but kept the items high overhead. She raised an eyebrow at the child, and then used her own magic to try and get the condiments away from him and back to their rightful place.

She had thought she would be able to easily take the toddler. That was not the case, he fought against her hard, while still giggling. He wasn't letting up, and at the same time didn't appear to be having much trouble fighting her.

Suddenly Regina's voice shouted, "William Graham!"

His face turned sober and he dropped his magic, causing all of Emma's to pull the condiments her way, dropping them on her head. Ketchup, mustard and hot sauce exploded from the magical force, covering the sheriff from head to toe.

Regina gasped, but quickly covered her mouth to silence the laugh that wanted desperately to escape. Her girlfriend's white tank was now two separate shades of unattractive red, and baby poop yellow.

Emma glared at the toddler whose only comment was, "Uh oh."

The sheriff slowly turned towards the table where all of the adults were sitting. Regina watched in comical horror as a huge glob of ketchup rolled down the blonde's forehead and then dropped onto the floor. Laughter erupted from the table, but the queen fought hard to keep from joining them.

She stood up and saw the not so happy look on Emma's face. She motioned to her toddler son, "William, come to mommy." The boy ran to the brunette's side, "Honey, you have to stop doing things like that."

Ruby tossed a dish towel over to the sheriff, "You might want to wipe your face before the hot sauce gets in your eyes."

Emma gave a fake smile as she rubbed the towel over her face, "Thanks."

Regina picked William up and placed him in a highchair. Once she was convinced he was secure, she walked towards her lover grabbing napkins as she went.

"Why do you continue to challenge him?" Regina asked with a smile.

The brunette dabbed the condiments from the blonde's hair and face. Her eyes settled on the sheriff's features, who was now pouting, which caused Regina to burst out laughing. Tears sprang from her eyes and she had to lean on Emma for support.

The blonde smiled at that. She loved how the queen sounded when she let herself laugh fully. Suddenly it was contagious and she herself began laughing uncontrollably. Before long everyone in the diner was laughing.

After they had stopped laughing and the two women wiped as much of the condiments off of the blonde as they could, they both sat back down at the table. Everyone was wiping their eyes with napkins. Had someone not known what they had been laughing and they walked in right now, they would think the table had been crying.

Ruby returned with everyone's orders and began placing each plate down in front of its owner one by one. Regina saw Ruby wink at Felix as she sat his plate down in front of him. She started to dismiss it until she caught her son sneakily run his hand along the wolf's.

Regina narrowed her eyes. Felix had been fawning over the older waitress for a couple of years now; Ruby was returning the affection it would seem. This woman was way older than her son.

Emma quickly caught on that Regina's had seen what she too had seen. She reached her hand down and placed it on the brunette's knee.

"Are they seeing each other?" Regina hissed in a whispered voice into Emma ear.

Emma leaned up, "It seems that way."

"She is entirely too old for him." the brunette snapped.

"Regina." the blonde said, in order to get the mayor to look at her, "You do realize, you are probably thirty years older than me, right? Leave them be, Felix if is of age."

Regina narrowed her eyebrows again, but then thought about it. Emma was right; she was a lot older than her lover too. She glanced back at her son, then to the wolf. She just didn't want her son to get hurt.

"Ruby, I need you to take out the trash!" Granny shouted from the kitchen.

The waitress finished placing the last plate down and shouted back, "Be there in a second."

Felix slid his chair back and stood, "I'll help you."

"Felix, you haven't even eaten you dinner yet." Regina said. She watched as his face dropped and she let her gaze fall on the waitress who was now blushing. She sighed, never breaking eye contact with the wolf, "Very well, but don't be too long or your food will get cold."

A smile rose on Ruby's face, which caused Regina to smile back. She watched as Felix and Ruby disappeared behind the counter. She felt Emma's hand on her knee and the mayor brought her hand down to take the blonde's and she squeezed it.

Things were always changing, and would continue to change, which would bring on different challenges every day. Emma and Regina had survived this far, and she knew they would make it for the long haul. The mayor just had to make sure the blonde could survive their toddler, besides that, everything seemed to be moving along rather smoothly, with only mild hiccups.


End file.
